Deadly Secrets
by Aeslin Hime
Summary: Sasuke is harshly captured by someone claiming to come on Naruto's behalf. Naruto knows nothing of this guy. In fact when they meet, his first instinct is hatred toward him. What's Kyo's true purpose? What's their connection? Rated for language. NaxSak
1. Intruders

A/N: My first Naruto Fic . …this starts off as a search mission, it'll get on with the real plot soon! be nice please!!

Summary: After Sasuke has created his group Hebi, he's certain that Itachi's death is near. His plans, however, are ruined when someone comes on behalf of Naruto...but Naruto has no idea who this guy is...he's never seen, or heard of him...Then Sasuke is brought back to Konoha...and all hell breaks loose.

* * *

**Intruders**

The moon was full, giving courage to the young cub as he dodged the trees leaves and branches. His tongue lolling out and staring straight ahead, repeating his masters orders over and over again in his mind. The scent he was given was still strong and hard to forget. Spicy and sweet, all at the same time. Mmm, sort of like cinnamon. Hoo-hoo-hoo….cinnamon waffles. Oh yes, with a dash of vanilla, can't ever forget the vanilla. Ahh, and a nice cool glass of orange juice to quench the thirst, along with bacon and eggs. Yum, buttered toast, no, even better. Biscuits!

"Kyouko! Pay attention!" shouted a strict and authorative voice.

Kyouko turned around and gave a mischievous grin to Hitonomi as he decided to show off by narrowly missing a low branch with an impressive jump and twist, landing on his paws on another branch. Hitonomi simply rolled her eyes and went ahead, her blonde fur ruffling in the wind. "Hey!" shouted Kyouko, slightly disappointed that Hitonomi didn't even bother to appraise him.

The tan cub followed the blonde one into the night. "We're on a mission Kyouko, there's no time to be playing around! Do you really want to disappoint our master? I mean come on! This mission is our very first, and your mother specifically stated-!" "Hai, hai. This is an extremely important mission. Tch, if it's so important, why didn't she tell us anything else about the guy we're supposed to be looking for?"

Hitonomi skidded to a halt and glared malevolently at her teammate. "Look, the entire wolf clan is indebted to our master. We do whatever is asked, no matter what. No question about it; even if we were ordered to kill, we would do it, and the reason would be?" she growled dangerously. Kyouko backed up a step at the elder wolf, answering with a gulp, "Our master saved us from extinction and bet their life on us to win."

"Right, now get on with it!" snapped Hitonomi, nipping the cub on his flank. With a yelp, Kyouko began his leap amongst the trees again. "But it wasn't even our master that gave us the direct orders! Mama just relayed them to us." He whined. Hitonomi shook her head in wonder. "For being a kid of Mistress Gintsuki, he sure is a pain in the ass." She muttered as she bounded off after him. She sweat dropped as she remembered his mother. 'Then again, it shouldn't surprise me…' Images of a strong, large, and silvery female wolf passed before her eyes. The regal look in her eye, the authority in her voice.

The immaturity when it came for serious business.

Hitonomi nodded absentmindedly. Yup, they were definitely related. She sighed in disappointment. She gave a skyward glance and shook her head. 'It was a shame you had to die before the birth of your first son, Urufu. However, you did die nobly. Deftly protecting your clan against those horrid men in black.' Even after they had gouged his right eye, rendering him slightly powerless, especially since his right side was his strongest side. Urufu wouldn't let anyone step in to help him. He would not allow any member of his clan to get hurt as long as he was alive. Even alive Urufu swore that when he died he would protect his family as well.

He still does, just like he promised. He brought their current master towards them. It was the best choice he could have ever made as their leader. This choice was never once questioned. Reason?

Trust.

Simple, right? No.

This was their first and only master that they would ever have.

Hitonomi vowed that she would never forget that day. The day her life, and those of the Muteki wolf clan changed forever.

Had Urufu not approved their current master, Hitonomi was positive that Kyouko wouldn't even be here today. But they were saved, and this sacred clan was eternally indebted to their master. Gintsuki made it crystal clear that from that moment on, the Muteki wolf clan would serve no other person except for their master. No one else mattered to them but their savior, and that was final. Besides, Gintsuki was by her mates' side when he uttered his final words.

There was a spine-tingling screech that shattered Hitonomi's train of thought. Not stopping, Hitonomi glanced up ahead and saw a large shadow flash by the full moon. 'He found him.' She thought, her eyes narrowing as she remembered the plan. She gave a sharp bark and Kyouko stopped, three trees ahead of her. "What now?!" he growled, getting annoyed by his mentor. "Suterusu. He found the location of the objective." She stated. Kyouko's eyes widened a bit.

He certainly didn't expect the mission to go by this fast…or to have to be forced to be ready so soon . "Kyouko waited as Hitonomi seemed to be listening carefully. She gave a sharp sniff and bounded off to the left. "It's East. Exactly half a mile from here." She yelled over her shoulder. Kyouko nodded and began to follow. This time, he was serious, despite the pit of cold fear in his stomach.

"Right, we find the guy, memorize the location and its defenses, and then report back to our master. This mission is a piece of cake." Said Kyouko, catching up with Hitonomi. "Heh, you forget one last thing." Panted the blonde mentor. Kyouko gave Hitonomi a sidelong glance. "And what is that, to be exact?" "Specifically, and in our master's exact words, under no circumstances are we to get caught. Nor must we leave a trail." She answered furtively. "Um, isn't that a bit obvious?" stuttered the cub as he narrowly missed a hidden branch. "Actually, that's the challenging bit." Hitonomi gave a sharp turn and sniffed one more time to make sure she was going the right way. Then it clicked to her how stupid the question was that she just answered. "Don't you know whom it is we're up against?" she asked curiously.

Kyouko gave a grunt as his reply. "Not really."

The two wolves dodged a few more branches and leapt to neighboring ones in turn. They each wore a bandana around their necks, bearing the symbol of their master: a black gothic cross with a snake wrapped around it. Occasionally crisscrossing each other and having to stop to make sure they didn't collide one another. It wasn't until there was another loud shriek that pierced the night that Hitonomi told the cub the name of their opponent and enemy.

"Our target is the traitor…" she ducked underneath a branch and stood still, her crystal blue eyes glinting in the light of the moon. She made sure that Kyouko was close behind her and well hidden; they had arrived at their destination.

Kyouko waited patiently for Hitonomi to reply. He took in a couple of breaths to ease his panting. His ears perked up when Hitonomi let out a wry chuckle, her muzzle pulled back in a mixture of a snarl and satisfied grin. Her pointed canines glinted in the moonlight making Kyouko envy his mentor. Her ears laid back and she hunched over, giving her eyes an impressive glow against the moonlight.

The young cub followed her example, realizing that the mission had begun. He made sure that the shroud of leaves they were in was still completely covering him. He didn't want to mess up on his first mission. Again Hitonomi let out a chuckle, this time sending tremors of fear through the cub as he noticed the menace in the sound. Her reply came in a low growl.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

* * *

_"You are weak."_

_That cold and cruel voice…it emanated throughout his entire body as he stared into the faces of the dead. His stomach lurched at the strong metallic smell of the blood forcing its way through his nose._

_Yet, there he stood. Hands clutching at his stomach, kneeling on the ground, eyes frozen in their petrified state. His body paralyzed with fear except for the constant shudder, associated with the coolness of the voice. He could do nothing…he was hopeless…just like he said he was. He couldn't breath, he couldn't think…all he could feel was the cold, hard stare of the man, no, the traitor, standing before him._

_That is, until he saw that one thing that truly shattered his soul that night. The one thing that actually ever truly mattered to him. Yes, he loved his family. Yes, he was furious of the fact that they were murdered. And yes, he felt deep sadness that they were gone. But he had hoped that maybe, just maybe, this one thing was able to get through. That this one person was able to get through this genocide unscathed._

_No._

_Impossible._

_As with all of the others, they had fallen._

_They had fallen, and it was one hard landing…A strangled sobbed escaped from the clenched throat of the young Uchiha. "E-even…Y-you killed-?" Sasuke visibly quaked with fear when he heard Itachi's blunt reply. "Of course.""Why?!" screamed the 7-year-old boy. Hot tears streamed down his face as his eyes drank in the frozen expression of fear, that blank, lifeless look in the obsidian eyes. He was on all fours now, hair falling like a funeral curtain over his face. He couldn't wrench his gaze from that blank stare. He felt something electrify him as he kept staring straight into the eyes. "How could you kill-!" Sasuke stopped short as his elder brother's knee made contact with his abdomen._

_The young boy didn't even make a sound when he landed flat on his back, his vision blurring along the edges as his lungs complained about the sudden loss of air. The stars twinkled piteously at him as the tears continued to fall freely from his wide eyes. Itachi's voice was now a deadly whisper. "You two were very close. Almost as if you were two of one whole. Killing your other half was just an experiment."_

_There was a rush of air and Sasuke gasped as he realized too late that his elder brother was now right behind him._

_"It seems like my thesis was proven correct." Sasuke grimaced in pain as Itachi grabbed him by the nape of his neck and pulled him up at eye level. This time, however, he was careful not to stare Itachi straight in the eye. Experiencing the Mangekyou once was enough. "Hate me, little brother. Hate me for what I did to the family. Despise me for the loss of your childhood. Loath me for the cause of death of your life's only desire." Whispered the murderer. "You this anger and hatred to your content. May it be your life's new strength and weakness. Use it to train day and night." Sasuke let out another sob and Itachi continued. "When you have grown stronger, come find me. Find me, and avenge the death of your heart." Itachi paused to let the power of his words sink into the ears of his child brother._

_"Kill me."_

"UGH!"

Sweat gleamed off the soft and milky brow of Uchiha Sasuke, giving him a sickly appearance as he gasped for breath. He raised a shaky hand to his eyes and rested his head against it, welcoming the cool breeze of the open window next to his bed. Once his breathing returned to normal, he slowly swung his legs over the side of his bed and carefully got up.

Feeling uncomfortable with the sensation of his shirt sticking to his back with sweat, Sasuke gladly peeled it off. The wind gently caressed his naked torso as he stretched his stiff body. His muscles rippled with each movement, and he let out a sigh as he mentally berated himself.

This was the third time this goddamned week. The same stupid memory that had been converted into a dream had been haunting him frequently ever since he had had his first encounter with Naruto after two years. Sasuke sighed again, this time with an inaudible word. He stared out of his window towards the silvery orb of the full moon. He refused to let the death of his clan be the fuel for his anger this late into the night. Especially that one death…the one that had truly changed him for what he was now.

As a reprieve, Sasuke turned around and walked over towards his desk.

On the desk was a single parchment with nothing but two black swirls on each end of it. He placed his palms face down upon them and used some of his charka to activate the hidden jutsu. A small poof, and now on the parchment to add to the swirls was a small leather-bound book. Sasuke hastily snatched the book and headed over to his bed with it.

He opened it to where he had left his pen, and using the writing utensil, began what he desperately wanted to start.This was no journal. Nor was it what those foolish girls called a diary. No, this was something much more. This book was Sasuke's memory.

Literally.

The pen that he was writing with gave off a small yellow glow as it scribbled away in the book. The pen didn't use ink, only his chakra. At first glance it seemed like a metal rod with a pointed tip. Using his charka, Sasuke extracted his memory with it and put it into words inside of the small book. Every time he did so caused him to lose the memory he was writing about, never to return into his mind again until he was ready for it to be put back in place.

He wanted to forget.

Not understanding why he waited until now to do it, Sasuke wrote feverishly in precise detail the dream he just had. The effects took in immediately. Jabbing the book with the pen, Sasuke blinked a few times and stared blankly at the pain. He cocked his head to the side and wondered how the hell it came to his hand.

'Ah.' he thought as he saw the book, as if realizing for the first time what he just did. "I did it again." he muttered under his breath. Before he got a good look at what he had written, Sasuke slammed the book shut. If he read the memory right after he had written it down...well, the consequences weren't too clear. Kabuto created this special jutsu, and Sasuke was the first to try it out.

Sighing, Sasuke gave the book a light squeeze and it disappeared in a small puff.

"Ugh." He was exhausted. All day he had trained with Suigetsu, helping him get used to the weight of his new weapon. And Karin was no better. Alone she was just as bad as all of the girls back in Konoha.

Sasuke's mind literally went completely blank when the image of what he had left behind suddenly flashed before his eyes.

Konohagakure village. His home. His village. And what was worst...his family.

"Keh." he grunted as he fell back to lie down on his back. Good. If he had stayed any longer, they would have all held him back. He never would have gotten this far if it weren't for his decision of siding with Orochimaru for that temporary amount of time. Besides, he got rid of the damn megalomaniac. And now he was strong. Stronger than he was ever before. Now he was positive he'll be able to kill him.

Sasuke stared at the moon. Somewhere far away, a wolf let out a low, soothing howl. 'That moon.' he let out a loud sigh. Down the hallway, Suigetsu let out a loud snore. Next door, Karin mumbled something that sounded oddly like his name. Ignoring these strange distractions, Sasuke kept his mind lingering on the moon.

It was on a night, very similar to this that he had his best memory. The corners of his mouth began to twitch as he replayed the memory in his mind.

_"Come on, you gotta come see this!" came a mischievous whisper. "Huh? But, father- it's almost my curfew." replied Sasuke. "Aww, don't be such a killjoy. Besides, I doubt Otou-sama will mind if you're a few hou...minutes late." There came a sly wink; the six-year-old boy turned his head away to hide his blush. "Especially if you're with me!" And before Sasuke could object, he was being pulled down the road of his clan's village._

_"You were at school, and Onii-chan was on another mission, so I went exploring. When I found it, I just knew it was the perfect spot to claim. I know, I know. We had agreed to find our Secret Spot together, but you're always at school! Don't get me wrong, I'm proud that you're determined to be a Hidden Leaf Shinobi. But, it does get awfully lonely when everyone's gone..." was the explanation. Sasuke, who had had his mouth open, shut it as he let her explanation sink in._

_He was lead past the river and into the bordering forest. "Actually, what I was going to say was that you're lucky you didn't get caught. You know my father's rule about you going around by yourself without an escort." There was an abrupt halt and Sasuke ran right into the still form, knocking both of them down. Sasuke's eyes went wide at the close contact._

_Speedily getting off of the body, Sasuke made sure that his friend wasn't hurt before he was given a cold glare. "Humph, you and everyone else...come on, it's no fun when you have someone following you all the time!" wailed his friend. Sasuke eyed his companion with one of knowing; his arms crossed and his legs in Indian-style giving him a somewhat more impressive look. The reaction was a blush, accompanied by a grunt and an averted gaze. "I don't do it all the time."_

_Sasuke laughed, showing off his pearly whites. In turn, he was given a look of such seriousness, he felt a bit awkward..."Y'know, the only reason why I do follow you around is because...well..." Sasuke watched a small hand rise and scratch the back of a head in a nervous manner. He noticed the beaded sweat around the almond shaped black eyes. "You really are serious, aren't you?" he asked. "W-well, yeah...you are my only friend Sasuke-kun."_

_Sasuke felt like the wind was knocked out of him. "Wh-what?" There was a blush, but the young child kept on. "Like you said, I'm not supposed to go anywhere without an escort. Well, do you see anyone that has enough free time to escort me anywhere?" "Um...no, but still-." "Forget it. We're here anyway."_

_He neither realized his surroundings, or thought twice to look at where he was at for being so concerned with his best friend. But now that they had pointed it out, Sasuke's jaw dropped in awe. It was a wooded clearing with nothing but a small lake. A waterfall supplied the lake with all ok it's water, the full moon giving it an ethereal glow. "Woah."_

_There was a somber sigh. "Yeah." Sasuke turned around to find his friend staring at him with some kind of intensity, it made him glad that it was nighttime. The next question was so sudden and random, Sasuke's eye twitched slightly for having being forced to think so quickly._

_"Promise me that no matter what, you will never choose the wrong path to obtain anything. Swear that you will never betray me, your friends, or your family. Swear that if you do, you face the consequences on pain of torturous death."_

_Sasuke stared at his companion, their waist length raven hair glowing under the moonlight, the creamy skin shining with natural smoothness. "Why do you ask me this?" A bright smile was the only answer he received. Slowly, the young Uchiha nodded his oath._

_"Yeah. Yes, I promise."_

_"Good. In that case, this will make it official."_

_Sasuke didn't see it coming. He was only seven! But being naive made it all worthwhile._

_His friend stood up and faster than he would have thought possible for her, she bent down and gave him his first kiss..._

_"Hope you remembered the way home." she said, smiling at the blush that glowed on Sasuke's white face. And without a backwards glance, she ran through the forest, leaving behind a small echo of her angelic giggle._

_Sasuke just stared straight ahead at the reflection of the moon on the lake. His fingers twitched before they rose up to touch the place where it still tingled with the feel of her lips...at seven he had the blessing to experience his first kiss...and with his first crush._

_"Hai, I promise...Yumiko-chan."_

A week later she was amongst the unfortunate that died at the hands of Itachi Uchiha. She was the reason…the only reason. Otherwise, he never would have done so at all. She was why he had done all of these things.

Yumiko.

Had she not died…he wouldn't have been the leader of Hebi.

"Who the hell are you?"

Sasuke was broken out of his reverie when he heard the familiar obnoxious shout of Suigetsu.

There was an incoherent mumble, followed by a loud crashing noise. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're do-?" another loud crash, this time shutting up Karin. Sasuke slowly sat up, his eyes narrowing in confusion.

Nobody knew the location of Orochimaru's very first hideout.

'Damn, this is going to be troublesome. I was just about to get to sleep, too.' He thought, waiting, patient as a feline for his mouse to come and play.

His Sharingan was at the ready, his chakra already pulsing to the core of his Curse Seal. And yet, he was still caught completely off guard.

Sasuke tensed up when he felt the cold puff of breath on his back. Looking from the side of his eye, he barely caught a glimpse at the silvery canines of a silver she-wolf. 'What a nuisance.'

"You dare move an inch, and I swear that your throat will be hanging by nothing but a fragment of what was once left of your skin." She snarled.

Now that was surprising. So this was a summoned wolf. He wondered how many more there were surrounding the headquarters.

"Plenty enough to keep you somewhat satisfied." Sasuke stared blankly at the new opponent. Where there was once an oaken door now stood a young male. His amber eyes glared malevolently at him, his arms crossed and his body leaning against the frame.

Sasuke surveyed him with the utmost interest.

The boy had a slim frame, but his arms told Sasuke that he was anything but frail. The biceps were bulging through the black material, his entire body being covered in it. He wore a suit, similar to what, as Sasuke could remember it, Kakashi wore. But in place of the Hidden Leaf insignia on the vest, was a symbol of a gothic cross with a snake wrapped around it. The boy even went so far as to hide his face behind a mask, leaving only his eyes visible. But even his eyes were somewhat hidden behind a shaggy mane of brown bangs, the rest of his wild hair being held down by a bandana. Sasuke noticed that he wore no headband. Perhaps a fellow rogue ninja?

"You know, you're rather disturbing my sleep." Sasuke said calmly, looking for any signs of attack from the boy with his Sharingan. "Your point?" came the muffled reply. The voice was naturally husky, still coming out of it's younger years.

Sasuke gave the boy a cold glare. "I don't like being deprived of what I want."

The boy shrugged. "And I don't like half naked, cocky, obnoxious, traitorous, arrogant men. But the world's full of 'em." There was a moment of silence in which both men observed one another. Then, the intruder broke the silence.

"Gintsuki, it's time."

"Hai!"

And before Sasuke could react, his window crumbled behind him, the boy raised a glowing hand, and with the collected chakra, threw it at Sasuke so that he was blown backwards. However, Sasuke's reflexes were sharp, and right as he was thrown back, he activated his curse seal. Immediately his transformation began. From the roots of his black hair came the noticeable change of white. His nails elongated to sharp point. His back began to ripple with the push of his wings.

He doubled over in pain.

"Guh!!" Sasuke clutched at his stomach with both hands. It felt as if he were about to burst into flames with the strong burning sensation taking place. He looked up to find himself surrounded by a clan of wolves. Straight ahead of him, he saw the form of his new opponent, his right hand raised in a hand seal.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Don't you think I would have done research on my enemy? Oh, dear, Uchiha. I prefer we play fair. You see, I'm in the mood for some Taijutsu at the moment." He taunted. He stood completely still, his poise straight and somewhat regal.

There were some yelps from the wolves that sounded oddly like laughter.

"Aww, come on! Start beating him senseless already!! His hair is starting to remind me of roasted duck…" said a tan cub. The boy laughed at the remark, adding more fuel to Sasuke's fire. "Hnh, I'm glad you reported to me immediately Kyouko. I never would have thought that tonight would have been the perfect night to begin my plan."

"Alright. But first, I need to explain to Uchiha what I have done. You see, traitor, I've blocked your entire circulation of chakra. Quite frankly, you're stuck the way you are now unless I release my hold on you." There was a mischievous glint in the boy's eye. "And to tell you the truth, I won't release it at all." There were more yelps of laughter from the wolves, the loudest one coming from the cub. It seemed he quite looked up to the bastard.

"I thought you liked to play fair?" gasped Sasuke. What was with the pain? He's never experienced anything like it!

The boy nodded. "Oh I do. But with fair fighters."

"Ackh!" gasped Sasuke. "And you, my dear Uchiha…" Sasuke breathed deeply with the pain of the asshole's knee in his back. "Are no fair fighter with that Sharingan and Curse Seal on you."

"Hey, boss! The two dweebs you knocked out are wakin' up. And it looks like they've got a friend." Barked a black and brown spotted wolf. "Thank you, Okashii." Sighed the boy. He pulled Sasuke's head back by the hair, causing him to wince in the sharp pain. "So, the rumors are true. You also broke Juugo out of Orochiamru's hellhole. Hnh. Good. My clan needs a good workout." He turned to the silver she-wolf. "Gintsuki!"

"Yes, master?"

There was a dry chuckle from the boy. "It's feeding time." And with that, the wolves yipped with glee and ran full force into the ruined headquarters.

"Now, it's just you and- what the?" Sasuke pulled out a kunai and stabbed the boy's leg with it. The boy blinked and stared at Sasuke with disgust.

With a poof, the Shadow clone was gone, along with the chakra bind the bastard had with it.

Sasuke gasped for breath and tried to make the pain go away. He knew his momentary freedom wouldn't last for long. There were at least two more shadow clones that he was able to detect.

"Nice try." Said a menacing whisper. And Sasuke's first challenging battle ensued.

* * *

"You are such a dumbass, Naruto!"

"Ahahaha! Come on Sakura-chan! You gotta admit, they've gotta learn it from someone!" laughed the village idiot. "Oof!" he grunted, as Sakura's fist made contact with his stomach.

Shikamaru shook his head in disappointment. "You'll never learn, will you?" he drawled.

The vein throbbing on Sakura's forehead gave her an even fiercer image. "How dare you teach those Genin boy's how to transform into naked women!!! You're supposed to be their role model! Jeez! You always go around talking about how big and bad you are, but then you turn around and-just grow up!" she screamed.

Ino twitched at her best friend's fury. At times she could go a bit too far with things. Sai simply stood to the side and watched his "friends" bicker. "How strange. In all of the books I've read, it says nothing about fighting with one another to stay friends." He said. Chouji, munching on a bag of chips as usual, turned around and said through a mouthful of crumbs, "You really gotta stop reading those books about friendship. Having friends is a natural thing, you don't learn how to get or be one." Sai nodded gratefully. "Thank you for your advice."

Chouji shrugged and turned to Shikamaru. Everyone was ignoring the fight now and immersed in their own conversation. It wasn't until Sakura's frantic yelling paused for a breather did anybody realize that there was a sudden commotion in the village.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Ino. Shikamaru shrugged and sunk his hands deep into his pockets. "Don't know, don't care." Ino punched his shoulder lightly and walked down the alley. She looked around the corner and waved everyone over. "Come on! Come look at this, it's crazy!" she cried. Chouji bounded over towards her immediately while Sai and Shikamaru took their sweet time walking towards her. Sakura dusted her hands off and let go of Naruto's shirt to follow her friends.

"H-hey! Wait for me, guys!" cried Naruto as he got up. When he reached his friends, his mouth dropped in wonder.

"Why the heck is everyone gathered up like this?" he blurted. Sakura shrugged her shoulders as an answer from everybody. Ino was just about to ask a passing villager when there came an exhausted shout from behind them.

"Huh? Iruka-sensai!" cried Naruto. Iruka skidded to a halt in front of them. He doubled over to catch his breath. "You…huff…..three." he wheezed, pointing at Naruto, Sakura, and Sai. "Hokage….huff huff…wants you….main gate…huff…now!"

The team didn't need to be told twice. They bounded off without a glance behind. Their friends crowded around Iruka to make sure he was fine.

"You have no pass! You can not come through!" shouted the guard. "But I must come in! It's of the utmost importance." Replied a hunched figure. "Ma'am. I'm telling you, he won't leave. At first he only requested to come in. We denied him entrance when he didn't have a validated pass. Now he's just making a nuisance of himself.." Tsunade nodded in agreement…

She would have let the guards do their business with the intruder earlier, but the blood on the guy didn't seem too promising. And besides, for some reason, he kept requesting an audience with the most unlikely person imaginable.

"We're here Tsundade-sama. What's wrong? Why's everyone crowding around this gate?" asked Naruto.

Tsunade simply pointed a manicured finger at the guy below the gate. "You know hum?" she asked simply. Naruto peered over the edge, only to find a strange white and red lump looking right at him. "No!" he shouted. "Hnh." Chuckled Tsunade. "Well, he seems to want to see you pretty badly." She stated matter-of-factly.

Sai and Sakura stared at Naruto curiously, who in turn gave Tsunade a blank look. "Me? Why me?" he asked. Tsunade shrugged. "Who knows? But we've got five Anbu Black-cops ready to take action. Your choice kid. You want to see this guy, or do we take action?" she asked.

Again the blonde peered over the edge to try and get a better look at the guy claiming to want an audience with him. "Let him in. I can handle it." He answered slowly. "Besides, I want to know who the hell he his and how the heck he knows me." Tsunade nodded in approval. Raising an arm, she gave the command. "Let him through; you heard the kid, he's taking it on from here.."

"You guys stay up here. I wanna do this alone." Said Naruto as Sai and Sakura prepared to go with him. "Alright, just be careful." Replied Sakura. Naruto inwardly snorted.

To think that just a few minutes ago she was trying to strangle him.

Jumping down from the gate to the doors, Naruto waited until they were fully opened. Some more Shinobi had come to try and make the crowd back up and give Naruto some space with the stranger.

When the doors were fully opened, Naruto stepped out towards the hunched and bloodied figure. Before he was on the other side, the guy crumpled down and fell with a hard thump. Curiosity getting the best of him, the 15-year-old ran the rest of the way only to skid to halt, his legs paralyzed with disbelief. His eyes not believing what he was seeing.

A brown haired amber-eyed boy gasped in exhaustion and pain, his right hand clutching tightly that of a very limp Sasuke. "Uzumaki-kun. I…I bring you…" too exhausted to even continue, the boy's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he slumped over the unconscious form of his captive.

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked! R&R and the next chapter will come out soon! 


	2. Explanations Part 1

A/N: O.o wow, this went way better than my very first fic...YAY!! Loved how fast I got those reviews!! I especially appreciated the honesty from Gnosismaster. Pretty good advice. Sorry that I left the bold on the previous chapter. lol, it was seriously like 2 in the morning when I posted it, so I completely forgot to take it off . I went back and edited it, so...anyways, enjoy!

* * *

Explanations Part 1

"I-impossible..." whispered Naruto. His eyes roamed over Sasuke's still form. They surveyed the twin gashes on his left cheek, a black and blue fist-sized bruise on the right one. His bottom lip was cut and slightly swollen, blood trickling from the corner, his left eye was even worse. His tunic was ripped in half and hanging on his arm, his chest revealing horrendous scratches that looked fresh and covered a horrendous bruise that looked as if it were still growing. His trousers were ripped in several places, also revealing dirty scratches.

It was a wonder the boy was still alive.

Naruto slowly turned to the guy who had caused all of this. The only wounds were a small gash on his right hand and an even smaller cut over his eyebrow.

"Naruto! What's going on?" shouted Sakura from above the gate. The blonde could not answer. The image of what was right in front of him made his stomach lurch with different emotions.

Wonder...

Fear...

Anger...

Sadness...

But most of all...happiness.

Sasuke was back. It didn't matter to Naruto in what state, just as long as he was back, healthy and alive.

Naruto's legs crumpled underneath him. He stared in wonder at the bloodied face of his best friend. "Sasuke..." he whispered shakily...he just...he could not believe it!

"Naruto, what the heck-? Is that-?"

"Sasuke!"

Ino and Shikamaru had arrived. They were watching Naruto from the crowd, and when they saw him fall, they ran towards him. Ino's shrill scream of the Uchiha's arrival caused mayhem. The already restless crowd began to try and push their way through the blockages of the backup Shinobi. From up above came a faint gasp and a muffled shout of pain followed by Tsunade's barking of hurried orders.

-X-

"Damn, what happened to Sasuke? I thought you said he was strong! Pssh, looks like he just took a reality check with Mr. Reaper." blurted Kiba. His outburst was rewarded by a sucker punch to the back of the head by Sakura.

"Watch it! Now is not the time." she hissed through her teeth. Everyone that had been somehow associated with Sasuke was in the waiting room. Sai, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Hinata, Kiba, Aburame, Kakashi, Iruka, Jiraiya, and Naruto...even Gai's team was there to see if the rumor's were true. Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Iruka were all with Tsunade, discussing important "problems" with her.

The Uchiha prodigy had returned.

Naruto sat away from all of the people. He was still in a state of shock. After two years of hard training, mentally and physically berating him self, sacrificing practically everything that he had once enjoyed…. it had all come to this. Some random fool that nobody even knew the name of…

The blondes fists clenched in fury. 'I trained so hard…and for what? For some idiot to get to Sasuke first. Arrgh! I waited too long, and look where it's got me.' He thought. "It-it's just not fair." he muttered piteously. Then there was the state in which Sasuke was brought in. Yeah, sure, of course he at first Naruto didn't care. But now that Tsunade had taken a closer look at Sasuke, it seemed that his physical appearance was nothing compared to what was going on inside of his body. So far, four broken ribs, hence the growing bruise, both arms were dislocated along with his right wrist broken. One leg was fractured while the other had a twisted ankle. To top it all of, he had a minor case of internal bleeding.

A loud crash followed by the shattering of a couple of falling picture frames caused the muttering in the waiting room to cease entirely. All heads turned to the direction of the sound. Sakura, out of all of them, was the one greatly affected. Tears brimmed her green eyes as she registered Naruto's condition.

Her teammate had gotten up, and with a frustrated sigh punched the wall closest to him. "That's enough." He growled. Nobody knew what he was talking about. Naruto whirled around and glared at Sakura. She gulped audibly; what was with that look? Everyone noticed it as well. One of sheer determination.

Naruto stomped towards her, and before she could protest, grabbed her wrist and dragged her along with him. "Hey, what're you doing? You know we're not allowed to go in until-!" "Shut up! This has got nothing to do with you!" Naruto interrupted Ino. He rounded off a corner and disappeared to a room, its door loudly crashing open and slammed shut.

Ino shook her head in wonder. "That guy is in for a whole lot of trouble." She said. Everyone nodded in agreement, pitying the fool that had brought Sasuke back home.

-X-

"So, this is the infamous Uchiha Sasuke, eh? So much talk about him, and look at what's happened to him, being beaten by an unknown opponent and brought back to where he started."

"Sasuke's more than what you may think. It's just a matter of what that guy did to him, and what kind of reinforcements he had. Sasuke's more of a fighter than what he appears."

"Even so, look at him. He's practically dead."

"That's nothing. He's experienced far worse."

"Really? Well...besides his first encounter with Itachi I mean."

"Yes, however, Sasuke's not really the main problem at this point. What about the other kid?"

"Yes, he does seem to be a major issue at this point. In any case, who is he?"

"Don't you know, Tsunade?"

The elder Kunoichi looked up, slightly startled at being referred too. She had been studying Sasuke's charts meticulously, making sure she hadn't missed anything. The boy had taken quite a beating. He was half dead when she finally got a hold of him.

"Eh?" After her statement of finally being able to see Sasuke, she had completely tuned herself out. Now Jiraiya and Kakashi were staring her at expectantly. Kakashi sighed and repeated his question. "That kid; the one that did this to Sasuke. Have you found out anything about him?"

Tsunade sighed and put down Sasuke's charts; she was in for a long night. Despite all of the antibiotics and attempts, nothing seemed to be working. Whatever happened during the fight, it had rendered Sasuke unable to take in any medical attention. If this kept up, she was sure he would die within the next week or so. She was going to have to work overtime to find out what was blocking her medical attention.

"No." she answered bluntly.

She turned to stare at the Uchiha prodigy. Even in his critical condition, having a blindfold tightly wrapped over his eyes, a breathing stabilizer, I.V. needles, numerous casts, and restraining chords on his arms and legs, she could still see his handsome features. No wonder Sakura always talked about him…not to mention the countless other girls.

Jiraiya stared at his long time friend. "Then what's keeping you from doing so?"

Tsunade sighed and crossed her arms. "Well, let's just say he's got a lot in common with our favorite obnoxious Shinobi." Both the Sannin and Jounin understood when they saw the twitch of her eye.

-X-

"I was wondering how much longer I was going to have to wait until you got here."

Both Naruto and Sakura twitched with confusion, Naruto more so than Sakura. Here he had come, rage at the tipping point, getting ready to explode and go all out on this guy. He had even rudely wrenched the door open and slammed it back shut to give it more effect.

All of this only to find the guy sitting straight on his bed, fully clothed and unscathed…playing a game of Go-Fish with a nurse…while smiling cheerfully underneath his mask at the two newcomers.

"Thank you Tamoko for keeping me company. I believe it best you should leave now, lest you be caught in a bloody mess." Said the boy, giving her a playful wink. The young blonde nurse blushed and nodded. She stood up from the bed, bowed to each Shinobi, and left the room with a cheerful goodbye to the boy.

"If you so much as move an inch from where you're at, you'll be no better than Uchiha."

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks.

Sakura whirled around to see what was happening. She had no idea what was going on.

The boy stared at Naruto a minute longer, making sure that he would not move until turning to Sakura. He inclined his head in a polite nod. "Nice to meet you, Miss-?" "S-sakura. Haruno Sakura." she found herself replying. She felt her cheeks burn at her idiocy. She just told the enemy her name. 'Idiot!' screamed her Inner Sakura. Nonetheless, Sakura couldn't help her self. This guy… strange as it was, even though she just met him, there was no negativity that she could sense. No remorse, no anger, and definitely no tension coming from him…. but as for Naruto…that was a different story.

The brunettes amber eyes crinkled at the sides in what was a hidden smile. "Ah. A sweet name for a pretty woman." Again Sakura found herself blush. "Gah! You flirt! Stop hitting on Sakura-chan to stall from facing me!" roared Naruto. His face was flushed with anger and jealousy. Who the heck did this guy think he was hitting on his friend like that?

"Me? Stall?" scoffed the guy. "You've gotta be joking. That's beside the point. Don't talk, I'm doing that; wait your turn." Naruto snapped his mouth shut, his pride growing a sore on the side. His angry mood ebbing away fast and turning into serious confusion. "All I was doing was getting to know this young lady here." Explained the boy, standing up from his bed with a slight grunt of pain. He stretched his arms over his head, bending sideways to crack a few bones.

"Besides, I was simply trying to introduce myself." Shrugged the boy. Naruto bared his teeth menacingly. "Come off it, Naruto. You're not as threatening as you think yourself to be." Muttered Sakura. The boy let out a muffled giggle. "Interesting. And to think I have heard great things about your friend here."

"Just shut it! Get on with what you were saying. Who the hell are you?" snarled Naruto. The boy stared at him in the eye, giving him unpleasant chills. It made Naruto want to just take his fist and ram it in the guy's face.

The boy sighed and crossed his arms in a somewhat arrogant manner. "I am Kyo. Yamazaki Kyo."

"Well than, Yamazaki-san," growled Naruto. He spat out Kyo's last name as if it were the worst thing in the world. Sakura, however, held up a hand to stop Naruto from saying anything she knew she would regret. "Look, Yamazaki-san-." "Kyo. You may call me Kyo. Both of you." Added the amber-eyed boy as he shot a glance at Naruto. He stared Sakura straight in the eye, giving her the impression that this guy was someone they did not want to mess with…. no matter how sweet he seemed.

"Kyo, whatever. I speak for the both of us when I say: how the hell did you get to Sasuke?" said Sakura. This time she added a small glare to make more of an effect. She understood why Naruto was so mad, and if it wasn't for the fact that she wanted answers fast, she'd let Naruto have his fun with the guy.

"Uchiha…" Kyo stared blankly at the two friends. His voice suddenly grew dark with contempt. He then shocked the both of them by running straight at them. On reflex, Naruto grabbed Sakura and dodged Kyo's sudden movement. The door flung open and out disappeared the mysterious kid.

Sakura clutched at Naruto's shirt, wondering what had just happened.

Outside of the room, they both heard a familiar shout coming from the room two doors down. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" screamed Tsunade. "Sakura, go back to the others. Stay with them no matter what." Said Naruto, taking a step towards the door. Sakura stopped him with a light touch. He turned around to find himself staring at a pair of flaming eyes. "Don't think I'm gonna let you have all of the action. Sasuke is a part of _our_ team. I deserve as much as you do to help him right now."

Naruto stared at her in silence. He shook his head and made up his mind. "You're going back. This guy is my problem right now. Don't you remember? He was asking for me when he first got here and-NO!" screamed Naruto, stopping Sakura as she opened her mouth to protest. "Just go back, everything will be fine. Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya, and Tsunade are in the same room. That Kyo guy isn't gonna be able to get by all four of us that easily." Sakura simply sighed in frustration and left the room. There was seriously no point in arguing this one for a change.

Naruto headed for Sasuke's dormitory. When he got there, his rage was filled to the brim all over again. Kakashi and Jiraiya were standing to the side in their battle positions, while Tsunade had a kunai pointed at Kyo's back. Kyo on the other hand, was standing on top of Sasuke's bed, holding the unconscious Uchiha by the collar, lifting him up slightly, his arms and legs still restrained to the bed. Sasuke's head lolled to the side, his face serene and unflinching at the harsh movements caused by Kyo.

"I suggest you put Sasuke down, immediately. What the hell is your problem?" muttered Tsunade, murder etched into her voice. "You know nothing." Spat Kyo. "Uchiha's fine!" Tsunade stared at him incredulously. "Oh yeah, internal bleeding and numerous broken bones mean you are extremely healthy." Came Kakashi's sarcastic reply. Kyo gave him a wry glance. "Just watch. There's a reason why I did all of this to him." He lifted up two fingers, already glowing with blue chakra.

Naruto stared intently at Kyo's actions. One false move, and no matter what, this guy would go down faster than a running faucet. But all Kyo did was lightly touch Sasuke at a spot between his neck and left shoulder. The chakra on his two fingers disappeared into the skin.

A moment of tensed silence.

Sasuke's shoulders shuddered. Immediately his mouth opened wide to let out a scream of such agony, three nurses came running into the room only to be ordered back out by Tsunade, who shut the door and bolted it shut. Nobody else needed to see the Uchiha prodigy in this state.

Sasuke kept screaming. His entire body seemed to be on fire. Every nerve in his body seemed to have been split in half. He vaguely noticed a pressure around his neck being let go. "Kyaaaah!" he kept on. Why? Why so much pain? How did this happen? When?

Naruto watched in horror. Sasuke's scream made him paralyzed. What could he do? Kyo had him at his mercy.

Kyo stared blankly at Sasuke. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You caused this, stop it!" shouted Naruto. Kyo shrugged and rolled his eyes. "How troublesome." he muttered, reminding everyone of Shikamaru.

Sasuke coughed mid-scream. A trickle of blood ran down his chin. "Shut up. It'll all be over in a second." growled Kyo. He straddled him rapidly stabbed Sasuke at his four major pressure points. Kyo jumped off of him immediately, Sasuke having suddenly stopped screaming and give a buck of his upper torso.

The raven-haired male gave off another cough and slowly settled down, his breathing coming in deep and long gulps.

Everyone stood still. Slowly, they all turned to stare at Kyo. He, on the other hand, was busy glaring murderously at Sasuke. "Finally, you're awake." he muttered. "What?! It was you who woke him up in the first place!" shouted Naruto, still shaken by what he had just witnessed.

"Naruto, calm down, at least Sasuke is fine." said Kakashi. "But-." "But nothing. Kakashi is right. At least our friend-" Jiraiya spat out friend, "fixed Sasuke...somewhat." The person in question turned his head at the sound of his name. His eyes were still blindfolded, but he had a pretty good idea where he was. It wasn't hard to figure who's odnoxious voice belonged to who...

"Keh, somewhat? The bastard'll be fine by two days time. Until then..." Kyo turned to Tsunade and gave a low bow. "Hokage-sama. There are a few things we need to discuss." he shot a glance at Naruto. "And I suggest that Uzumaki-sama attend our little meeting. Kakashi-sama as well."

Naruto was slightly taken aback at the formality he was given by his new enemy. He was so confused at this point, he didn't know if this was all real, or not. Tsunade, however, knew she was wide-awake, and wanted to have answers...fast.

-X-

The door clicked shut behind Naruto. Tsunade sighed and headed straight for her desk, Kakashi following right behind her to stand obediently beside. Naruto took a few steps forward and stood side by side with Kyo, although making sure he was a good enough five feet away from the ass. "Alright, so-." Kyo held up a hand and stopped Tsunade. She glared furiously at him. He was seriously starting to get on her last nerve. Maybe she shouldn't have asked Jiraiya to stay behind with Sasuke…

"Before you ask anything, I assume you have read through all of the Third Hokage's scrolls?" asked Kyo. Tsunade huffed with impatience, crossing her arms for more effect. "Of course I did, you think I'm an idiot? How else am I the Hokage?" Kyo eyed her suspiciously. He shrugged nonchalantly and crossed his arms as well, adding a curt reply, "Well, for one thing, if you _had_ read all of his scrolls, you would know who I am. Somewhat."

Naruto turned to stare at Kyo. The said boy seemed interesting enough, if not, maybe even a bit formidable. Naruto hadn't noticed before, but the way Kyo's bandana seemed to flatten out his bangs and cover his amber eyes a bit. Well, that just added to the effect of half his face being covered by a mask, giving him a very mysterious persona. Hell, it got Naruto reeling with questions, more so than he had when he had first met Kakashi. "I don't remember anybody by your description ever mentioned by the Third." Muttered Kakashi dryly.

Kyo simply chuckled. "Well, if I do say so myself, I don't ever remember you being so dense…Ookamishiro-san." For some strange reason, this last word seemed to effect Kakashi greatly. A first, his face went completely blank and pale. The next, he was glaring murderously at the brunette. "Who the hell are you?" he murmured. Kyo simply smiled underneath his mask. Tsunade glanced curiously between Kakashi and Kyo, and having had enough, slammed a fist at her desk, making sure not to break it. "That's enough!" she barked.

"Kakashi-sensei, what's wrong?" asked Naruto. The last time he had seen his master this angry was when he had fought Zabuza. Tsunade turned to Kakashi. "Yes, please do tell us, what the hell is wrong with you all of a sudden?" Kakashi shook his head, his white hair having the image of seemingly being drooped by sudden anger and…sadness? "This kid." He sighed. Kyo held up a finger and annoyingly pointed out, "I prefer to be mentioned as Kyo. That is my name, y'know."

Naruto angrily spat at him to shut up and again turned his attention to his master. "Only one other person has ever called me that name. They've been dead for ten years this coming Wednesday. How do you know that name?" demanded Kakashi. Again he glared murderously at Kyo, who simply shrugged and cocked his head to the side. Naruto was dumbfounded by all of this. He shook his head in frustration, "What is going on here? Could we please just stick to the beginning? Kakashi-sensei, we'll get back to that later. As for now, I just want to know who the heck this guy is!" shouted Naruto, pointing a thumb at Kyo.

"Ah! Alright, if you'll be so kind as to direct your attention to that mark behind you, Hokage-sama." Said Kyo cheerily. Curious, Tsunade turned around only to find herself staring at a strange symbol embedded on the wall that she hadn't noticed before. "The hell?" she cocked her head to the side, pondering what the symbol was. Naruto, however, recognized it immediately. His fists trembled at his sides. Kyo glanced at him. "You know what that is, don't you?" Naruto bit his lip, nodding his head in reply.

Of course he knew. Who else would know better than him the same exact symbol on the wall that was tattooed onto his abdomen, sealing the Nine-Tails within him? "What's it supposed to be?" asked Tsunade. "A replica." Answered Kakashi, earning a small glare from Kyo. "A replica of the seal on Naruto." Tsunade turned to the blonde, earning a small nod of acknowledgement of the truth.

"All right, besides it being a replica, why's it there?" she huffed. Kyo rolled his eyes and smacked his forehead with impatience. He let his hand slide down to glare at Tsunade with one eye. "Did you, or did you not read all of the Third's scrolls?" he muttered. Tsunade opened her mouth to answer, but Kyo interrupted with a shake of his head. "Never mind, stupid question. Well, if you had read all of them, you would know that the Third died with a secret. One that could render Konohagakure village completely and utterly defenseless against any village. Even the weakest one."

"Wait a minute. How is that even possible? And besides, if he died with the secret, wouldn't it give us the upper hand in any future wars?" asked Naruto. Kyo eyed him with a blank stare that gave Naruto chills. 'This guy's weird. He knows things he's not supposed to…he's strong.' He thought with dread.

Kyo sighed and faced Naruto. "Well, I suppose it _would_ give this village an upper hand on things, but I don't think you're ready to die yet. You have much ahead of you Uzumaki-sama. We wouldn't want all of your dreams to be a waste, would we?" he muttered, his tone suddenly dark and somewhat threatening. It made Naruto visibly shudder. This guy definitely didn't bode well with him.

"I don't much like how you're threatening my student. Explain; what does Naruto have to do with you?" snapped Kakashi. He was seriously getting tired of this kid's attitude.

Kyo faced Kakashi. "Everything. Hnh, Tsunade-sama, push the symbol while applying some chakra." Wanting to get things over with, Tsunade did as she was instructed. A small hiss issued forth as the seal glowed an unearthly green, disappearing to reveal a small nook, big enough to fit a finger in. Curiosity getting the best of her, Tsunade slid an index into the indent and pushed.

A medium sized compartment revealed itself, showing a scroll the length of a regular scroll but the width of Naruto's head. Tsunade pulled it out and stared wide-eyed at the seal.

"As you can see, the Third wanted this scroll to be hidden until his next descendant took his place. That scroll contains my identity, my purpose, and my connection to several people in this village. Including you, Kakashi-sama." Explained Kyo. Tsunade sighed and dropped the scroll on her desk. "I can't open it." She said in a frustrated tone.

"Of course you can." Scoffed Kyo. Tsunade shot him a deathly glare. "Oh? So I suppose you expect me to know the correct jutsu to perform so as not to set this valuable piece of information on fire?" she growled. "Keh, easy." Shrugged Kyo. Naruto watched as Kyo strolled to the front of the room. He couldn't help but notice how straight Kyo's back was, or how…what was the word….elegant? Yes, how elegant his legs moved. It seemed oddly familiar.

Naruto shook his head in shock. Was he just checking out a guy?! His stomach lurched. 'I think I'm going to be sick.' He thought.

Kakashi noticed Naruto staring at Kyo. The way the blonde's brow furrowed confirmed what he was thinking. Kakashi couldn't help but think the same thing; something was definitely strange about the way Kyo moved. They were too sharp, as if any wrong move might cause his entire image to fall apart.

"You must be someone of great importance for the Third to hide away a scroll about you." said Kakashi. Kyo looked up just as he reached the scroll. Kakashi caught his eye and held it. There was a few seconds pause before Kyo answered. Kakashi, however, was happy for the reaction. "Not really, I'm just a person that knows a few things. The Third only wanted to keep my identity a secret so as not to attract attention. He was helping me out, after I asked him of course." With that reply, Kakashi noted a light blush, although hidden underneath the mask, still visible by the very light shade of pink underneath the amber eyes.

Kyo turned his attention back to the scroll, did a few hand signs too fast to contemplate with the naked eye, and tapped the scroll with an index. The seal, which was the kanji for a monkey (surprise, surprise), disappeared and the scroll unfurled about three inches. "This scroll was designed to be opened only once. After that, only on certain dates will the scroll unfurl some more. Powerful chakra is trapped in it." Added Kyo, giving Tsunade an explanation after noting the look of curiosity of how much was opened.

"Why won't it open anymore?" asked Naruto. He had walked up to the desk to catch a glimpse of the scroll. Kyo turned to look at him. Again Naruto felt a tingle throughout his body with that one glance. What was with this guy? How could he do this to him?

"It won't open anymore because, as I said, it was designed that way. The only way it will open any more will be on specific dates. For example, your birthday, Uzumaki-sama." Said Kyo. "Cut the formality crap, it's getting on my nerves." Snapped Naruto. He dipped his head towards the scroll. "Are you saying that the next time the scroll will open up any more will be on my birthday?" Kyo nodded, his eyes closed in a smile.

Naruto blanched. "But that's not for another four months!" he shouted. "Wait, how do you know the dates?" he asked. Kyo shrugged. "I don't. I only knew the next one." He chuckled. Naruto's eye twitched with annoyance.

Tsunade gained everyone's attention when she gasped. "Oh my." She whispered. "What?" asked Naruto, wanting to get some answers. "Ah-." She stuttered, but instead she glanced up at Kyo. "Is this…is this true?" she whispered. Her face paled, her voice matching the color of her skin.

Naruto looked up at Kyo. The said boy simply looked away, his eyes suddenly going stony, his body rigid. "What? What is it? What the hell is going on?!" shouted Naruto. Kakashi leaned over and read the scroll. His eyes widened and his arms went slack. "Impossible." He muttered. He looked up and stared straight at Kyo. "Hey." Muttered Kyo, waving a hand as if in a gesture of gretting, his voice void of expression.

"Aw, come on! Tell me what the hell's going on, or else I swear I'll-!"

"Naruto, if Kyo-kun had not arrived, you'd be dead by the next full moon." Shouted Tsunade over the young blonde.

* * *

A/N: so? what's you think? reviews please! the more reviews, the faster things go! lol, and please feel free to leave constructive criticism. i'd really appreciate it :D 


	3. Explanations Part 2

**Explanations Pt 2**

"Wh-what?" Naruto took a step backwards, shock and uncertainty written on his face. He looked from Tsunade, to Kyo's blank eyes, to Kakashi's sympathetic gaze. Naruto shook his head in denial. "This guy's got nothing to do with me; I've never even heard of him in my life! How is he supposed to be preventing my death?" For effect, he glared deathly daggers at the boy.

"It's not a matter of if you know Kyo-kun or not." Put in Tsunade. "It's the fact that your seal is breaking." Naruto stared open-mouthed at her. He knew it had been happening. He had felt it breaking little by little. But he's been able to control it. Kakashi stepped forward and said, "We've all noticed it happening, Naruto. And to tell you the truth, Jiraiya's noticed that it's gotten worse. Especially after that blow you gave him during your time away from Kohona."

Naruto whirled around to face Kyo and pointed accusingly at him. "You! What do you have to do with all of this?" Kyo stood silent. His amber eyes bore into the blonde's azure ones as if trying to see something no one else could. He must have found it because he blinked rapidly and snapped out of his reverie. "Hmm?" he murmured, as if just realizing where he was.

Naruto couldn't take it anymore; he snapped. Everything went so fast, he was blinded by his impatience and anger. So he launched himself on Kyo…

Who had him pinned to the floor in 3 seconds.

Naruto stared wide-eyed at his captor in shock. Kyo loomed over him, pinning Naruto's arms over his head, heels dug into Naruto's thighs as he straddled him.

Tsunade stared at Kyo in awe. To think that the boy underneath him was the same one that had killed a member of Akatsuki had even Kakashi a bit confused. She glanced up at the Jounin, staring at the two on the floor. A strange emotion glittered in his eyes.

"You asked what I have to do with all of this." Said Kyo, capturing everyone's attention. Naruto winced as his wrists burned with the pressure Kyo put on them as he spoke. "For the moment, it's to tell you that the full moon would have attracted the Kyuubi's chakra, seeing as the next full moon is the anniversary of when the Fourth had sealed him inside of you. Thus causing a negative reaction in which your body would not be able to sustain such large quantities of chakra at one time. Kyuubi will gain control at your weakest point, that being when you lose consciousness and begin to take form of a miniature Kyuubi. Once that happens…heh…there'll be nothing left but a Leaf headband and a raging demon on the loose."

Kakashi and Tsunade exchanged glances. They had both caught on to something that was quite strange in the boy's little speech.

Naruto felt his face heat up. "Dammit! Dammit all!" he growled. Kyo still held him down on the floor, not trusting him to be let go. Tsunade rested her chin on her palm while staring at Kyo intently. "How do you know this, Kyo-kun?" she asked. 'And since when did this demon have a specific gender? For all we know, it might as well be unisex.' She thought to her self.

Both Kyo and Naruto turned their heads on her. "Well, we'll just have to wait for the specific date when the scroll will open up to that part of juicy information, now won't we?" he said cheekily. Tsunade opened her mouth to retort, but Kakashi held out a hand to stop her.

"Would you please get off of Naruto? It seems he's feeling a tad uncomfortable." He said. Kyo looked down and that the elder Shinobi was right. Naruto's face was so red, it was almost purple, and to go along with that, his eyes were complete balls of flame. His hands were going blue from lack of circulation, and his legs were rigid, seeing as he was trying his hardest not to move so as not to worsen their already awkward position.

"Um." Kyo quickly pulled away from Naruto and shot up, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Eh. Eh-heh. Heh…ahem." Naruto glared murderously at him as he sat up, rubbing his wrists and crossing his legs Indian-style. "Sorry about that. Just wanted to stop you from doing anything drastic." Apologized Kyo. Naruto said nothing; he simply rubbed his wrists and kept glaring at him while wondering where the guy lived so he could murder him in his sleep…

"Alright," Kakashi broke the awkward silence. He crossed his arms and continued. "So, we've established that this scroll holds everything about you, as well as a forewarned warning of what could have been a grisly death for Naruto. All we need to know is what is it that you know that is so dire to helping him."

Kyo sighed. "I know this master ranked jutsu, I'm not saying how I know it because it's not the time for that, but it will help Uzumaki-sa, I mean Kun!" Kyo quickly corrected himself at another glance at Naruto, who was still sitting on the floor, but now twirling a kunai on his thumb while staring blankly at Kyo. "The problem is," he said, eyeing the kunai carefully. "Is that the after effects of this jutsu depend on the person unless they do exactly as is told. It will only last as long as Uzumaki-kun can gain complete control of his chakra, and I mean 100 percent."

"Well I'm dead." Muttered Naruto. Ignoring the blunt comment, Kakashi prodded on. "We've been working on that. What is it that Naruto must do, exactly?" "After the jutsu is performed, Naruto must be under strict bed rest. What the jutsu does is expel all of the Kyuubi's chakra that has mingled with Uzumaki-kun's. While the jutsu is doing this, Uzumaki-kun will experience a few, um, discomforts. He'll survive, but it's sort of like giving him a major heart surgery, awake."

"Plenty of rest, huh?" said Tsunade. Kyo nodded. "Exactly, because afterwards, he will need to go through vigorous training to control his chakra. We can't have both Uzumaki-kun's and Kyuubi's chakra mingling with each other again, or the results could be chaotic. Once the seal is repaired, it will need a few months for it to re-merge with his body and take into effect." Kyo shrugged nonchalantly and turned to Naruto. "Afterwards, you'll be the same as you were for the first 12 years of your life."

Naruto stared blankly at Kyo, trying to register everything he just said. He cleared his throat when he understood, somewhat. "Who would I train with?" he asked. Kyo glanced up at Kakashi whose eyes widened slightly. "I believe you were already under Kakashi's training, right?"

"No." said Naruto. "What?" said the Jounin. "I said, no. If Kyo-kun knows so much about me, then I want to have him train me. I have the right to know everything about my enemy." He said defiantly. Kyo stuttered, causing everyone to stare at him strangely. "I-I can't do that." Why does he suddenly lack his poise?

"Why…?" asked Naruto, dragging the word out slowly. Kyo blinked and stared at the three each in turn. "I just…I can't be near you often." He replied lamely. Naruto cocked a brow and grinned wolfishly as he stood up.

"I have the right to know you as much as you, scarily, know me." Kyo nodded in agreement. "You do, don't get me wrong, it's just…" "Just what? You afraid I'll snap during train you and slaughter you?" At this Kyo scoffed. "Please, far from that." He became somber again. "It's just, my main priority right now is Uchiha."

"I think Sasuke-kun will be fine. You said so yourself, he'll be completely healed in two days. Although how, I'll never understand." added Tsunade with a shake of her head. Kakashi simply stared at Kyo, his eyes shining with understanding.

"That's not what he means." He told Tsunade. "You want to give Sasuke-kun your form of punishment for his betrayal of Konoha and himself, don't you?" he asked the boy. There was a gleam of acknowledgment in Kyo's eye. Kakashi smiled underneath his mask. "Well, I don't find anything wrong with that." He stated bluntly.

"What? Are you out of your mind?" fumed Naruto, glaring at his mentor. Tsunade stared at him aghast. "Yes, are you quite out of your damn mind?" she said. Kakashi shrugged off the retorts. "Naruto shut it. And no, I'm not out of my mind." Kakashi stared hard at Kyo. "Naruto, I will personally tell you when Kyo will perform the jutsu, as for your training, it will resume as it was but with more severity."

"Kakashi, what are you doing? If anyone has the last say in this, it's me." Said Tsunade. "Forgive me Godaime-sama, but I believe I know what I'm doing." There was an awkward silence until Tsunade nodded her approval. Kakashi immediately turned to Naruto. "Leave. You're done; I have just told you what is to come. Expect it, as for now; this is a private meeting that doesn't involve you."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "You're kidding me, right?" There was just silence. "I'm not leaving until I get some more answers." He said stubbornly.

-X-

"Remind me never to cross you while I'm here, Ookamishiro-san." Muttered Kyo, his eye still twitching from what he had seen Kakashi do to Naruto. He subconsciously rubbed his butt as as the echo of Naruto's howl rang through his ears. "It'd do you good to remember yourself. You know I don't give out warnings." "Hnh, so you do know each other." Chuckled Tsunade. "Well, after the scroll opened and I read it, it was a shock, but now everything makes sense…sort of." Muttered Kakashi.

Kyo smiled. "Everything will in due time. I promise you that. But right now, Godaime-sama, I ask you permission to place Uchiha under my custody." Said Kyo, bowing low. Tsunade raised a brow and crossed her arms. "Isn't this a bit sudden?" she sneered. Kakashi stepped forward and cleared his throat. "It may seem strange, but I know Kyo's true intentions on this. You read the scroll; we know his true identity and that Sandaime-sama trusted him. I trust him as well."

Tsunade looked between the both of the men in surprise. "Look, I know that you two know each other more than I can fathom at this point. Hell, I'm surprised you've gotten over the shock of it, Kakashi-san. I'm still reeling over the fact that there's still more to the Uchiha and Naruto's history than anybody knows about and he's standing right in front of us. But did you see the way Kyo-san brought in Sasuke-san?" she shot him a glare. "I wouldn't trust a pack of endangered wolves with this guy." Kyo shifted from one foot to another. He began to toy with the emblem on his left shoulder, running his finger over the cool stainless steel.

"I'll make sure he doesn't go too far with things." Offered Kakashi. "No. Ookamishiro-san, don't help me on this one. This is a personal situation." Murmured Kyo. Kakashi glanced at him and shrugged. Kyo bowed low again and held that position while he spoke. "Godaime-sama, I have this other jutsu that I know about. This one is specifically used on a prisoner. It is not deadly unless it is performed wrongly. All it does is give the prisoner a disadvantage of using chakra what so ever while his or her captor still lives. Only the person who performed the jutsu may release it, and they have the option of giving the prisoner a certain limit to how far away they can walk away from their captor before they are given an automatic jolt of pain by the jutsu." He rose and stared at Tsunade expectantly.

Her eyebrows were raised so high, they seemed to be hidden in her hair. "I'm impressed. I've never heard of this jutsu…it seems quite effective." She said. Kyo chuckled wryly. "You have no idea." Tsunade stared at Kyo suspiciously. "You won't go to any extremities?" she asked cautiously. "I'll make a deal with you." Started Kyo. Tsunade nodded her head for him to go on. "I will do my form of punishment on Uchiha; knowing his pride, he'll accept it. But he will have the knowledge that if I take things too far, or should he feel it necessary at any point, he may challenge me."

Kakashi gave him a rueful glance. "What makes you so sure that you'll win should he challenge you? He _was_ trained two years by Orochimaru…just because you won the first time doesn't mean you will again." Kyo let out a bark of laughter that filled the entire room. "To be honest, I have a trick or two that would incinerate this entire village before you could call your Anbu Black-ops. Not that I would use them." He added hastily at the look Tsunade gave him. "But I did fight Uchiha already; I know his tricks. Most of them at least."

Tsunade sighed. "A challenge? Surely not to the death, I presume?" "Of course not." Squirmed Kyo.

"Then so be it. Anything else I should know about?" she asked, seeing Kyo squirm some more. "Yeah, not only is Uchiha going to be deprived of chakra, I _will_ force him to walk through the village. I want every citizen of Konoha to witness the humiliation of what was once a great prodigy of a highly respected clan." Kakashi stared at Kyo in surprise. "You've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?" Kyo nodded. "But why? Why do you even care about what he did? I can't see your connection with him at all." Said Tsunade.

"Godaime-sama, all you need to know is that Kyo-san really has a a good reason." Said Kakashi. Kyo sent him a thankful wink.

Tsunade became curious. "Ok, now you two are hiding something from me. Kakashi-san, what is it about this kid that you know and aren't telling me?" she inquired. Kakashi became suddenly amused. "Many things, Tsunade-sama, many things." "And he won't be telling them to you any time soon, unless I say he can." Ended Kyo, cheekily.

"Oh, really?" smirked Tsunade, suddenly getting a lighter feeling about the kid, knowing that Kakashi trusted him. "Yup…and I think it's about time I give Uchiha the good news." Tsunade gave Kyo a once over.

"You know, that disguise won't last long…even with Naruto." She scrutinized. Kyo sighed. "Yeah, I know…and it'll last even less unless I get the hang of wearing something this tight when there are some things that need to be left free." Tsunade snorted. Kyo gave her a wary eye. "I'm not kidding. This isn't a costume, y'know." Kakashi's eyebrow twitched. "You've changed _a lot_ over the years."

-X-

Naruto's butt was still sore from the massive poke Kakashi had given him. He rubbed it as he walked along the hallway of the hospital, muttering obscenities towards Kakashi and that damn idiot. 'Kyo.' Thought the blonde nastily. "Whenever I get the chance, I swear I'll kick your ass." He muttered. "Ah!" he gasped at the sharp pain in his rear. He was about to turn a corner to get to his friends when he heard something.

"So…is it really true? Did you really kill Orochimaru?" asked a soft voice from an open door. Naruto perked up as he recognized the owner.

There was no response to the question.

"Look. You're going to have to talk sooner or later. Why did you leave Kohona?" asked Jiraiya, this time much more firmly. Naruto stepped closer to the open door. His interest to the conversation was growing, and he didn't want to disturb it. Again there was no response. "You left a lot of friends behind, you know? Especially a really good one. One that never gave up on trying his best to look for you. You hurt him pretty badly, Sasuke-kun. Heh, I'm surprised he didn't even pounce on you the first chance he got."

Naruto leaned in slightly and caught a glance at Sasuke. The Uchiha's face stared blankly at the ceiling. "The guy that brought you back, how do you know each other?" asked Jiraiya. He leaned against a window overlooking the hospital's garden. His arms were crossed coolly across his chest, and he stared expectantly at Sasuke. This time, Sasuke kept silent for five seconds until he replied with a cold tone, "You were never good at controlling your chakra, dobe. Stop hiding like a coward and face me. Or am I too shameful to even look at?"

Naruto blanched at the iciness of Sasuke's voice. He stood on the spot for a few more seconds until he plucked up enough courage to step in front of the doorway, even managing a small glare at Sasuke.

Sasuke stared blankly at his ex-teammate. He watched as the blonde clenched his fists and lowered his head somberly. The Uchiha lied on his back and gave a slight smirk.

"Always trying to act cool, aren't you? No matter how messed up of a situation you're in, you still manage to play it cool." Growled Naruto. He shot his head up and stared at Sasuke in a sad way. "Why? Why'd you do this to us, to your team?" Sasuke cocked a brow. "And _you_ know the meaning of a team?" "I know never to betray them! To never leave for a stupid reason such as revenge!" shouted the blonde.

"Naruto, calm down." Muttered Jiraiya, getting up to get closer to the boy. "No!" he pointed at Sasuke. "Do you know what they're planning to do with you? Because of your idiocy, your head is literally on the line. Once you're all healed up, what do you think is gonna happen?" Sasuke sighed heavily and kept on staring blankly.

"You-raaagh! You are such a bastard!" Naruto's fists clenched in disgust and disappointment. All directed at himself. He felt like a total hypocrite at that moment. Just about an hour ago he had been all worried about the teme. Now he was here and all he was able to do was criticize him…

Sasuke snorted and looked away, staring out of the window beside his bed. "I don't have time for your annoying rants." He said icily. Naruto's eyes widened and his jaw slacked open. He was just about to curse the teme out when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Thinking it was Jiraiya, Naruto began to shrug it off, but it held firm. "Jiraiya-san, Tsunade-sama would like to see you in her office. She would like you to join a private discussion with her and Kakashi-san." said a familiar voice. Sasuke's eyes widened in fury and he began to bite his lower lip. Noticing this, Naruto slowly turned his head around just as Jiraiya muttered a curt reply and left, eyeing Kyo suspiciously along the way.

Once the door clicked shut, Naruto spat out the question that was burning on Sasuke's tongue. "What the hell are you doing here?" Kyo cocked his head to the side. "We have much to talk about." He said simply.

Sasuke swallowed with difficulty. The fury of being so close to the man that had put him in this incapacitated state in the first place made him boil over and summon his Sharingan without even trying.

"That, and I came to tell Uchiha wonderful news." The masked boy turned around and glared at his captive. "Your sentence has already been served. However, your trial will be held exactly at 8 tomorrow night to make it final. You better feel lucky; the first option was to kill you under an assault of ANBU Black Ops with your chakra completely deprived, standing in the middle of the Forest of Death. Instead, you'll be spending your time with little ol' me." With that being his final say, Kyo clutched at Naruto who was standing there in shock, turned him around, and redirected him out of the door.

When they left the room, there was a loud bang and a muffled shout of what sounded uncannily along the lines of, sonuvabitch!

But then again, Kyo's ears were hidden underneath his chocolate hair, which was also matted down by a bandana and a part of his mask. "Come on. We don't have much time. We need to find a very secluded spot, that way we can talk." He said. Naruto didn't reply. He was still imagining the scenario that Kyo had so quaintly put into his mind about Sasuke…

Kyo walked down the hallway, looking left and right for some sign of an unoccupied room that they could take advantage of. Not finding one, Kyo growled with impatience, causing Naruto to finally turn his attention to him. "Look, this can wait another time-." He wasn't able to finish. Without a word, Kyo clutched Naruto's shoulders and pushed him up against the wall roughly.

As a reflex, Naruto grabbed both of Kyo's wrists and applied pressure while concentrating chakra to obliterate the hands that were offending him. Seemingly not taking notice of this, Kyo simply sighed and stared hard into Naruto's azure orbs.

"Look, stay away from Uchiha." He put simply. Naruto glared. "Why would I listen to you?" he growled. "Just trust me on this. Uchiha's no good at the moment. If anything, he'll be the worst person to even look at right now." Naruto struggled to keep his chakra concentration intact…something wasn't right. "Yeah, yeah. I've heard it all. 'Just forget about Sasuke-teme.' 'He was bound to choose the wrong way.' I don't care about that. He's my friend!" he replied. This time, his brow began to bead up with sweat. It wasn't much, but he definitely felt it…He had to get Kyo off of him.

"I understand, and I fully respect that. But I need _you_ to understand that Uchiha's not in a very stable situation right now. You saw the condition he was in when I brought him. That…well, that was my fault. But I only did that because I've found out some things about his abilities. It wasn't easy getting him back, Uzumaki-san. And now that he's a bit angry, things won't go too well. Not even you will be able to stop it." Said Kyo sincerely. "Yeah? Well, right now all I want to stop you from absorbing all of my chakra!" growled Naruto. "What? Oh my!" Kyo immediately pulled away and stared at his hands wide-eyed.

"I'm so sorry..I-I didn't realize I was…" he apologized. Naruto clutched a shoulder and panted for breath. "How can you not realize that?" Kyo shook his head and grunted, reaching behind him and pulling out two leather gloves. "Because I can't completely control my abilities while in a certain emotion. I need certain articles of clothing to help keep me in control." Admitted Kyo. Naruto coughed in disbelief. "Why'd you just tell me that?" Kyo shrugged, "We're going to have to learn to trust each other one way or another. We're going to be spending a lot of time together soon."

They stared at each other awkwardly for a minute.

"Well, if you have anymore questions, ask me now. You aren't going to be seeing me until Uchiha's hearing." Naruto stared blankly at Kyo as he finally began to gain control of his breath. "I've got one: how many other abilities do you have trouble controlling? I need to know this so I can think up all of my possible deaths while with you." Kyo scrunched his brow at the blonde. "Only my absorbing chakra, and how much chakra I use when I'm angry." He stared at Naruto. "So you can't control yourself during certain emotions?" Naruto asked. "Yup. We have certain things in common. Now if you'll please excuse me, I have two jutsu's to brush up on." And with that, Kyo turned on his heel and left down the hallway.

Naruto stared blankly after him. "Life's gonna be interesting with this guy around…"

* * *

A/N: HA! I finished it! Tell me what you guys think of it! R&R please! 


	4. Dog on His Master's Leash

A/N: ok, so sorry that it took a while to post. I needed some last minute brush up on some of the characters O.o I've been watching the episode where Naruto and Sasuke had that big brawl at the Valley of End…yeah…anyways, this chapter has some Naruto and Sakura fluff, along with some Sasuke bashing…heh…I got pissed at him while watching the fight . yeah…onwards!

* * *

**Dog on His Master's Leash**

**10:45 a.m. Naruto's House**

The sky burned brightly with the morning sun. There was only a slight wind to disturb the peaceful feeling of a brand new day. Everyone in Konoha was busy for this new and wonderful day. The day that everyone was going to be able to witness the trial of the villages' traitor. Everyone was excited at the prospect of being able to see this event. Much speculation was about, wondering what would become of the remaining survivor of the Uchiha Clan. There was also the questions' surrounding the new guy. Word on the street, Kyo Yamazaki was going to be dubbed a Konoha citizen at the same time as the trial. Now that was unheard of. Who knew if this Kyo guy was even to be trusted? No one really cared much, just as long as they got to see some good old justice being served. Nothing could damper the moods of the townspeople. It was all everyone could talk about, along with throwing in their own nasty thoughts about Uchiha.

It all sickened Naruto. All of this hostility and sick enjoyment. It reminded him of how he was treated in his younger days. He sat on the rooftop of his apartment, watching the clouds roll by as his mind ran in thought. Why did everyone have to treat someone indifferently just because of the way they thought, or acted? He sunk his head deeper into the barrier of his arms as he hugged his knees closer. Or even worse; why did anyone have to treat someone indifferently for what they held inside of them?

'Why are people so close-minded?' he thought to himself. As he heard a passing group below him talk about Sasuke's upcoming trial, he asked, 'Why do people concentrate only on what's in front of them?' He sighed as he shook his head in disappointment. Why couldn't people look past the image and into the reason itself? His eyes scrunched up in fury.

"Damn, I'm such a hypocrite." He growled. He believed in all of this, but whenever the chance came, his big mouth always got in the way and never truly let him voice what he truly felt. Yeah, he's said what he really meant most of the time. But if ever he got angry, or upset…he always managed to blow things way out of proportion. "Teme…why'd you have to do this? Things could have been so much simpler if you just weren't so blind." He muttered as he stretched backwards and lay flat on the roof. His mind began to wander back to earlier this morning, when he had the brashness to visit Sasuke while he was being prepped.

His eyes became lazy as he watched a cloud shaped like a lamb roll by. And to think he had about ten more hours to kill.

"Naruto!"

The blonde's eyes snapped open as he recognized the voice.

"Naruto, are you home?" Naruto jumped off of the roof to his balcony. He walked to his door and unlocked it. "Sakura-chan?" he said, surprised that she was even here.

Sakura blushed lightly, as if she herself didn't know why she was even at Naruto's door. She turned her attention to her hands, which were fidgeting below her waist. "Umm…." She felt her mind go blank. '**Dammit! What'd I come here for**?' screamed Inner Sakura. Naruto stared at her curiously, cocking his head to the side. For some reason, that made Sakura smile lightly. "What is it, Sakura-chan?" he asked. "Umm….Oh! Tsunade-sama wanted to let you know that she would like you, Kakashi-sensei and me to be at the trial at 7. She wanted to review some things before she stated them publicly." She said meekly. She inwardly cringed as she realized that Naruto most likely did not want to hear anything about Sasuke on this day in particular.

She was surprised, however, when Naruto simply nodded in acknowledgement and opened his door wider. "You wanna come in?" he offered. Unsure of what to do, Sakura just stood at the doorway dumbly, her hands suddenly slacking. 'Since when did he become so polite?' she thought. She blushed at her impudence. She had always thought of Naruto as an immature brat, never giving him the chance. 'Time for that to change.' She promised. '**CHA!**' screamed her mind-buddy.

With a nod and a small smile, Sakura entered Naruto's home, subtly surveying her surroundings. Naruto shut the door behind him and walked on ahead. He headed straight for the kitchen to see if he had anything to drink. Sakura just stood near the doorway like an idiot, not knowing exactly what to do. All she could really do was feel ashamed of her earlier expectations of what Naruto must live like.

Everything was completely opposite from what she had thought. Even though the floors were practically bare, they were still clean. Albeit, not totally immaculate, but enough so that you could actually see the sun gleam off in some places at her current angle. The furniture was plain, but suitable for the environment. No wild colors or anything; just a pleasant beige coloring for the sofa, and a peaceful wooden coffee table. Turning around, she noticed that all of his shoes were lined up nicely against the wall, and seeing this, she blushed furiously at her impoliteness. She hurried to kick off her shoes and set them beside the others.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, what do you want to drink? I've got milk, water, a couple of cans of soda, and…since when did I have salad in here?" he muttered, almost incoherently. But Sakura heard anyway. The high points he had earned with her suddenly crashed as she could only imagine what exactly inhabited Naruto's refrigerator. "I'll just have water, thanks." She replied. "'Kay!" came the muffled shout as he bent over and went inside.

Sakura shook her head with a small smile and walked over to the couch. The balcony doors were wide open and let in a fresh breeze which she inhaled deeply. "Must be nice to have a place all to your self, especially in a good part of town." She whispered. "Yeah, but at times, it gets too quiet." Sakura almost jumped off of her seat when she heard Naruto. She didn't notice him behind her!

"Here's your water." He offered, not realizing that her heavy breathing was because of him. Sakura took it with a shaky smile and gulped the water down. Naruto eyed her with a wide stare, watching the water disappear in two gulps. "Thanks." She whispered. Naruto shook his head and stared at her intently. "So, what else did you come over here for?" he asked.

Sakura blanched, although Naruto couldn't understand why. "What makes you say that?" she asked lamely. Naruto blinked at her. "Tsunade-sama would have sent someone other than you to tell me that she would want me to be in her office an hour earlier." He said with a smirk. "I got the message earlier than you and told the messenger not to bother, that I'd tell you when I ran in to you." Answered Sakura, almost too fast. Naruto closed his eyes and let out a bark of laughter. "Yeah, I'm sure you did, Sakura-chan. Which is why I still got the _letter_ she sent me _last night_ telling me the message."

Sakura's eyes widened and Naruto watched as her face began to get redder by the minute. "Sakura-chan, what's wrong? Why'd you really come here?" he asked, a smile still plastered on his face. "U-umm. I didn't want to get you upset or anything." She muttered meekly. Naruto scrunched his brow. "Upset? About what?" Sakura began fiddling with the glass as she tried to find the right words. "Sakura-chan, come on. Tell me already." Insisted the blonde. Sakura glanced up at him and smirked at the pleading look in his eyes.

She shrugged and set the glass on the table. "I…I just needed a friend to talk too." She said. Naruto stared at her blankly. "About what?" he blurted, but he immediately understood. Sakura didn't answer the question, but instead stared at him with her wide, pale green eyes. He exhaled loudly through his nose and waited for what he knew would come next.

"What happened yesterday? After you and Yamazaki-san left, everyone was forced to leave. Our questions were ignored, and, dammit, not even Tsunade-san is telling me anything!" Sakura blurted. "There's a reason for that." Muttered Naruto. "Then won't you say anything?" asked Sakura, her voice small. Naruto shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure if I can. I don't even know for sure what happened my self." Sakura sighed impatiently and folded her arms across her chest, causing Naruto to glance somewhere else. "Fine, but knowing you, you'll tell someone soon. And I'm going to be that someone, because I have the right to know!" she finalized.

Naruto just stared at her and shrugged. "Do you really want to know what's going on?" he muttered. "Of course, Naruto-kun! Sasuke-kun was our friend….I want to know what's happening with him as well." "Heh, what's going on with him is going to be totally humiliating. Apparently, Yamazaki is going to have Sasuke-teme in his custody as long as he sees worthy. He'll do whatever he wants with him, and there's nothing we could do about it." Spat Naruto. "What, why not?" asked Sakura.

He glared at the floor when he answered. "Tsunade-sama already agreed to it. You can thank Kakashi-sensei for that. He took Yamazaki's side the entire time!" Sakura frowned at the information. She watched as Naruto clenched his fists on his seat, his knuckles turning white with the force. She bit her lip, knowing fully well he wouldn't like what she was about to say, even if it was the truth. "Tsunade and Kakashi wouldn't have done anything so rash unless they knew for certain what they were doing." She muttered.

Naruto's head snapped up and he glared at her. "Oh, so you're taking Yamazaki's side as well? What was it, the way he charmed you yesterday in his room? Cuz what I could tell, he seemed to be able to charm the nurses as well." Sakura felt a pang in her chest from his offense. "No, Naruto-kun, that's not it at all! You know as well as anyone else that what I'm saying is true. We have to trust in their decision; obviously Yamazaki is one that they can confide in. If they do, then I do as well." She said with a firm tone.

The blonde sighed at how true her explanation was. God, how he hated when he wasn't right; but something about it…about Kyo, that guy, he wasn't natural. Something was weird with that guy, and he planned on finding out. "You can trust them all you want. No matter what, though…I'll find out the truth why that guy suddenly showed up. I would know if he had anything to do with me, and for him to come up out of nowhere…." He trailed off, not even caring to go any further. Sakura stared at him patiently, wanting him to keep on, to find out some more. But it was futile; he just kept glaring at the floor, every now and then, grumbling something incoherently.

She closed her eyes and sighed, standing up to leave. As she passed him, she laid a gentle hand on his arm, causing him to break out of his reverie. His dark blue eyes stared at her, slightly surprised to see her up from her seat so soon. She stared back at him gently, unsure what she was about to say. But once her mouth opened, the words came easily. "Whenever you're ready, come talk to me. We're both in this together, no matter what." With a small smile to leave with, Sakura turned around and headed for the door, sliding her hand off of his arm as she went.

She reached for the door knob when she heard his stuttering voice behind her. "W-wait." She glanced over her shoulder and watched as he hurried off of his seat and walked towards her. For some reason, the way he was walking for her made her feel intimidated. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until he was close enough to feel his body heat and she let out a low and shaky breath. He looked down at her with an uncertain and confused expression in his eyes. 'Wait, since when did he get so tall?' she found her self wondering as she tilted her head up to be able to look him straight in to those deep sea orbs.

"I, um…will you….crap…" he kept forgetting what he was going to say. "Yeah?" Sakura stared at him expectantly. Naruto rubbed the back of his head as he took in a deep breath, finally remembering what he wanted to ask. "6:30, can we meet up at the Training Posts? I…I want to walk with a friend to the hearing. We should go through this together." He finished lamely.

Sakura slightly frowned when she heard _friend_. Coming from him, she just didn't like how that sounded when it was about her. Without realizing it, she found her self somewhat leaning closer to him, her nose attracted to his spicy scent. Although she didn't realize it before, he smelled like a mixture of sweat and cinnamon. For some reason, it made her shiver lightly, the scent making her head somewhat fuzzy. It was something she could get used too.

"Sakura-chan?" Sakura snapped her head up to lock eyes with him again. "Oh, yes, of course. Yeah, I'll meet you there, no problem." She replied. Naruto smiled warmly, the action making Sakura feel warm and happy in her chest. 'As long as he's not in any pain, I'm fine.' She thought. "All right. Thanks, I'll meet you then." He murmured, leaning beside her and opening the door.

Sakura slowly walked outside, her mind jumbled in different directions at what she had just felt. "Hey," she turned around at his voice. "Hmm?" "Whenever you want to go somewhere for no reason, either tell the truth, or come up with a better excuse. Other than that, thanks for coming." He chuckled. Sakura blushed, her head bowing slightly as she pursed her lips. "I…oh, shut up! I'll meet you at the Training Posts, ok?" she said sharply. Naruto simply laughed and disregarded her tone. He wanted to keep teasing her.

Leaning closer, he gave her wink. "What? Despite the horrible lying, I'd say you did pretty well. Besides, I found it cute whenever you blushed and stuttered at the same time." He grinned widely at her reaction. She blushed even harder and even backed up a step.

Laughing harder this time, Naruto stood up straight and walked back in to his house. "I'll see you at 6:30, Sakura-chan." With a final smirk, Naruto closed his door, leaving a breathless Sakura just standing there, staring straight at the door with unblinking eyes. "You've changed a lot…and…I like it." She whispered to her self, a secret smile forming on her lips. Slowly, she began to turn around and head back home.

-X-

**4:30 a.m. Forests Outside of Konoha**

"So I take it you've finally started the mission?"

"Yeah, and I tell you, this shit's easy as hell. I thought it'd be more of a challenge, but I guess the old man didn't think it was worth the trouble."

"Have respect…he helped us when our lives were endangered."

"…I know….forgive me…"

"No need to be….so, have you located them yet?"

"Yes. The Jinchuuriki was easy…but the other…that's what delayed the mission; he was on the move a lot. And the brawl he had with Deidara? That made it worse. They began covering their tracks much more carefully….fucking bastard…"

"Hmph…Deidara was a fool…"

"Yeah…mmph!"

"….Why are you fidgeting so much?"

"It's this damn suit! It's not exactly what you'd call comfortable!"

"I told you to choose a different guise."

"You know I'm not much with imagination lately!"

"Oh? I thought 'Kyo Yamazaki' was one of your favorite imaginary friends when you were younger."

"I told you, Kyo was real! I thought I might as well respect his life by using his identity to good use. He had a pathetic life, and he deserved much more than what you're damn 'friends' did to him." Snapped Kyo.

"…..Never call them my friends….I am to my self….."

Kyo snorted at his companion. "Yeah, this is why you always practically risk your life trying to find me every time I disappear."

"….."

"I knew it, you care about me! Score for the Young One!" cheered Kyo, pumping his fist in to the air.

"I never said anything about caring about you. Don't assume things."

"Ugh, despite your quiet façade and you being, oddly, devoid of any facial expressions, you're still predictable." He stared at the profile of his companion. "I've been with you since I was 5. I think I'd know you pretty well….if not, then I guess it was a mistake ever trusting you." He whimpered. This caused his friend to sigh and turn to him. "I'm not falling for your mind games. I know you pretty well myself." Kyo grinned underneath his mask. "Damn, ah well. But you know that was half true, right?" His companion didn't answer. "Good, I thought so."

He rubbed the back of his head and took off his bandana, releasing the wild and unruly state of his auburn locks. "Whew, it's hot. I forgot how steamy Konoha's forests can get in the humidity. I'm surprised you're not affected." "You get used to it." Came the dry reply. "Yeah, I'm sure. And I'm also sure I'm going to get used to having to deal with certain tight spots whenever I need to fight."

"What do you mean?"

"When I went to get Sasuke, god where do I begin? I had to do a summoning as my first move. The rest of the time, I fought with Kage Bunshin. Not once did I get to go one on one the right way." Complained the youngest.

"It's your fault. I still don't understand why you chose to go this way. The original plan was to show up at Konoha in _your true state_, letting Sasuke know immediately. _I_ was even allowed to come back."

"Yeah, but I'm your ticket to survival. Without me, you'd be dead from all of the ANBU, Kakashi, and not to mention, two of the three Legendary Sanin residing there." Pointed out Kyo.

"Exactly. You owe me afterwards…a lot…"

Kyo raised a brow and stopped fanning himself with his bandana. "Oh? So you're doing this because you care? Wow, I never thought you still had it in you." He rolled his eyes and shook his head. Suddenly getting bored, he tossed his bandana over his shoulder and lay back on his arms. He leaned his head back and sighed.

There was a shuffling of feet, and Kyo lazily opened an eye to stare at his companion. The look in their eyes made him bolt upright and blush furiously.

"I hope you're not thinking about doing the same thing you did to me when I was 12." He muttered, averting his gaze. "That was for your own good. You kept obsessing over him." "What the hell? But finding out it was you, nee-chan?" Kyo snapped with disgust. "Keep in mind, we're not technically related. You were the one that found out that tasty little bit of information." Was the muttered reply.

Kyo looked away and blushed again. "You're five years older than me….and you know it's not you that I foresaw."

"Anything can change, you did, I did, and so did everyone else; all because of Sasuke's decision."

"Tch, whatever….that's why I don't bathe in a lake while travelling anymore. Even if I stink, I'd rather wait until I reach a good city." He eyed his partner wryly. "Who knows who might be watching….again?"

"….time to get serious."

"…fine…." Kyo fidgeted in his clothes again, this time letting a cry escape.

"First, release that Transformation Jutsu. If you're so uncomfortable, at least be in your true state."

"Ugh! But I have to get used to this! If I don't, the mission will be a complete failure!" whined Kyo, his body wriggling as the cloth tightened around his groin yet again. "Now I know why Sasuke changed to the tunic instead!" he growled. His companion tossed a bag at his feet.

"I brought products that will let you look like your transformed state while you're normal. Be warned that you have to make sure you don't make any mistakes every time you use these."

Kyo rummaged through the bag and frowned. "There's just one problem. I have different colored eyes than brown. I can deal with the wig and everything else, but what do I do about my eyes?"

"Colored contacts….they can especially come in to good use if ever the need arise."

"Where the hell can I get those? And why don't you use them?" frowned Kyo.

"I choose not too. I don't know where, that will be need to be found out by your self. Now release your jutsu and use what I've brought you….that disguise is getting on my nerves…." Muttered the companion dangerously.

"Too bad, just tell me what you had to say; I have to get back for Sasuke's hearing. Naruto will be there as well….and that new Hokage, Tsunade, she wants me to be there earlier so she can go over things quickly."

"Fine. The mission; since you had a two year delay, we need to quicken the pace. No matter what, have Sasuke crack by Chuunin exams. I'd tell you to just get on with the plan, but you're too stubborn to do as I say…especially when it comes down to revenge….."

Kyo flipped the bird and winked. "I'm as stubborn as an ass. What else do you need me to do?"

"The kid…Naruto; under any circumstances, you must gain his trust. The mission will fail if he ever finds you an enemy. He's very unstable with Kyuubi slowly taking control. Word has it that now he can transform to a miniature Kyuubi at times."

Kyo's eyes widened. "Thanks for the info…" he growled. "Other than that, be safe. You know what to do. Sasuke must know the truth, and Naruto must be saved….that kid has a future that he has a right too…"

"Hai! I promise; I'll do everything in my power to have the mission go exactly as Sarutobi wished it so." Nodded Kyo. "Good…in that case, I take my leave. I've been gone for two days without my partner….they might soon suspect." There was a shuffling and Kyo tensed as his friend bent lower and kissed him on his forehead. "You're special….don't get hurt."

Kyo blushed at the contact and averted his gaze….looking in to those eyes….especially _his_…that meant complete loss of control….even if they were just friends….'Get your self together. It's just the sex appeal. Your heart belongs to someone else.' He thought angrily.

Before Kyo finished thinking, there was a rustling of leaves and his companion was gone. With a sigh, he stood up from his seat on the boulder and released his jutsu. Rummaging through the bag, "Kyo" pulled out a replica of the clothing his Transformation had, along with the wig and accessories. "Man, this is going to be one long mission….hey, at least my body parts don't have to feel squished." He murmured.

That was when he took a closer look at the one-piece suit and glanced at the bag; an entire roll of linen bandages was tucked in. "Aww, dammit!" he screamed.

-X-

**7:15 a.m. Konoha Prison Tower**

"We have orders not to let anyone pass through. The prisoner is to be kept under watch until Godaime-sama and the necessary ANBU are here."

Naruto sighed and rolled his eyes. "Come off it, Kiba. You know I wouldn't do anything to let him free." Kiba shrugged and Akamaru stood up and sniffed Naruto. "It doesn't matter, Naruto. The Hokage specifically said not to let anyone get in. I'm not even allowed to let Kakashi-sensei pass through." Reasoned the boy. "Kiba, just give me five minutes." Pleaded Naruto. Kiba shook his head grimly and Akamaru began to growl lightly.

"Naruto, I'm not joking around anymore. This is serious stuff. Sasuke's in major crap right now. He's literally in a tight bind, and the slightest disturbance could set anything off. Only specialized people are allowed in." Kiba said tersely. He eyed Naruto's movements very carefully; no way was he going to under estimate this guy again.

"Kiba, I swear, I won't do anything. And even if something happens, I'll take the blame for everything. This is important." "Naruto, you had the chance to talk to Sasuke yesterday. Even if you didn't," he added hastily, seeing Naruto's mouth open immediately. "You'll get to have face-to-face with him after the trial. Godaime-sama promised anyone who's been associated with him that chance. Didn't you get the memo?" "Yeah, I did. But this is very important, it can't wait." Insisted Naruto.

Kiba stared at him hard and silent. Naruto stood his ground and gave him a silent and pleading look. He sincerely hoped it would work. A couple of minutes passed in silence in which Akamaru nudged Kiba in the hand and whimpered worriedly. Kiba sighed and came up with his decision. "Fine…you are the only one who has ever been truly concerned for the bastard. I suppose I can let you in; but only for 5 minutes, that's it. ANBU are coming in 20 to reinforce the bonds. It's been the same routine since he healed quickly yesterday." Naruto bristled at Kiba's insult to Sasuke, but nodded none the less.

Kiba clutched Naruto's shoulder and pulled him gently towards him. With a glance on every side, and a nod at Akamaru to keep watch, Kiba quickly turned around and unlocked the metal bolted door. "Remember, 5 minutes." He whispered. Naruto nodded and hurried in to the tower. There was a metallic snap of the door clicking shut, and Naruto was confined in semi-darkness.

Small cones of light lined the bottom of the walls, giving the metal room a strange reflected glow. He breathed in the metallic smell and braced himself. Slowly, he began to descend the steps of Sasuke's temporary prison cell. With each step, Naruto felt himself begin to break out in a cold sweat as his chakra began to weaken. 'So the rumors are true; this prison is made with a chakra depleting alloy.' He realized. He clenched his fists as he tried to control the amount of chakra that was being stolen from him.

"I'd hate to stay here for even an hour." He muttered to himself as the floor began to even out. He slowed his steps as he reached the end of the descent. His boots echoed off the walls as he surveyed his surroundings. The walls were lined with chains and shackles made from the same special metal. Naruto's attention was soon attracted to the lone slumped figure only ten paces ahead of him.

Sasuke looked more pathetic than he did yesterday. His breathing was slightly labored, probably from trying to break free of his bonds in his already weakened state. He had his head leaned against the wall, his neck glistening with sweat. His right leg was curled up to his chest while his left was sprawled lazily in front of him. His arms hung loosely, his left on his side, the right draped over his leg. He was no longer in his old white tunic, but in a new black one with matching pants. His tunic was opened, revealing that his wounds had greatly healed in the short amount of time. On closer inspection, however, with every one of his cuts, an ugly bruise took its place. Naruto could have mistaken Sasuke's body as a victim of a homicide.

"S-Sasuke…" Naruto trailed off, feeling the pang in his chest at his friend's piteous state. The chains rattled with slight movement, but Sasuke didn't even open his eyes to acknowledge Naruto. This caused Naruto to grind his teeth and step up closer. He lowered himself until he was sitting cross legged three feet in front of Sasuke.

"I know you're awake, teme. Open your eyes, you're not that weak." He muttered. Sasuke frowned slightly and opened his obsidian eyes in a squint. "What are you doing here?" he rasped. Naruto inwardly winced; Sasuke was either in some serious pain, or extremely weak, maybe even both. "To talk; yesterday wasn't what I wanted."

The chains rattled some more as Sasuke slowly got himself in a more comfortable position. "I'm sure you wanted more than me to just be in a hospital bed." He grinned manically. "Don't worry, that Yamazaki guy is going to take care of your wishes for you." He breathed in shakily and stared at Naruto expressionless. He felt a bead of sweat trickle down the side of his face. He got the surprise of the day when Naruto returned the stare and simply leaned back with the air of a kid simply having a conversation in a normal situation.

"How long have you been in here?" asked Naruto. "Wh-what?" Sasuke asked, confused. He had thought that Naruto would probably be bashing on him already; either he wasn't a morning person, or he had really changed during the two years. "Answer the question; I only have four more minutes."

"Then you wasted your time, dobe." Spat Sasuke. "Why don't you wait until after the hearing? You'll have all the time in the world once my sentence is being acted out." Sasuke gulped, trying his hardest to swallow down the giant lump in his throat. 'Damn them….damn them all to hell…' he thought vehemently. He'd probably be facing Itachi by now. He felt his pride plummet even more so when a vivid image of how easily he was caught off guard by Kyo danced in his mind. That bastard made him look like a helpless little girl being beat by a drunken man on a rampage.

"Whatever. I'm not going to let your pompous ways get the best of me anymore. I'm not the same, Sasuke-teme." Muttered Naruto, his left index tracing circles on the ground. Sasuke blinked and turned his head to the side, his untamed hair hiding his face. However, behind the mask, he eyed Naruto carefully. "I take your word on that." He murmured.

Naruto sat up straight and gave Sasuke a hard look. "I came here to warn you." He said.

That caught the prisoners' attention. Slowly, he moved his head to face Naruto again and he lazily cocked a brow. "About…?" he drawled. Naruto cracked his knuckles on the ground, the popping noises lightly echoing. "That Kyo guy….I don't trust him."

"Thank you, Sir Obvious." Said Sasuke wryly.

Naruto shook his head and growled. "I'm the only one besides you. Yamazaki has everyone wrapped around his finger. Kakashi-sensei is taking his side on everything, and since Tsunade-san trusts Kakashi-sensei, she trusts Yamazaki as well. Even though it goes against what I feel should really happen, teme, I promise you, I won't let you get off any worse then you are."

"Wha-?" Sasuke said breathlessly. The information knocked the wind out of him, but what did the most was how Naruto just said that he was sticking to Sasuke's side, no matter what happened.

Naruto nodded in reply. "I won't be able to do much, but I will help you resist Yamazaki as much as I can. No one seems to know who he is, and he is going to gain custody of your imprisonment?" He shook his head in disgust, "No, not when I'm around. But, you have to promise me one thing." Sasuke remained silent, staring at Naruto blankly. "You have to work with me on this as well. No matter what, if we can get Yamazaki out of the way, you can't just leave again. I'm counting on you, Sasuke, you can't betray anyone again. You're strong, trust me. Even in your current state, I can sense how strong you can truly be."

Sasuke snorted and shook his head in disgust, his sweat-matted hair whipping his face with each move. "Strong? I'm the opposite of that, Naruto." He muttered. "Even after two years under Orochimaru's training, I was still beaten mercilessly by someone I didn't even know!" he spat. "He used such basic techniques, but his power, that was what ceases to amaze me. He hides it so well; he reminds me so much of you."

Naruto was stunned. Was he just complimented, or insulted? "Wh- that's beside the point. Don't ever bring that up again. We're talking about the present, forget about how you were brought back for the moment. You can think of yourself negatively all you want, but you will always be seen as a strong person by me, and countless other people." Again, Sasuke was silent. Naruto sighed and rubbed his face, "Would it help if I say if you promise not to betray the village again, I can promise that you will be trained by Jiraiya, after I convince him." He added as an after thought.

Sasuke smirked. "I don't need any of your empty bribes." Naruto glared at him. "I'm trying to help, either say yes, or no. I leave in thirty seconds, with or without your response." Sasuke bit his lip and groaned; both out of pain and of a hard decision. With a snarl, he watched Naruto stand up stiffly and hurried toward the exit.

"Naruto!"

The blonde stopped halfway to the stairs, but didn't turn back around.

"I-I promise. Get me the hell out of here, and I am in your debt." He whispered reluctantly. Naruto didn't move or make a sound. With a sigh, Sasuke went on. "If I stay in this state any longer, my Cursed Seal will be activated involuntarily. I won't be able to control that; and I would really rather not experience the unknown consequences of that predicament." Naruto sighed and looked over his shoulder at Sasuke's pathetic form. With a smirk, he nodded and began to walk away again. "We'll talk later; I hope you really do keep your word, teme. Or else, it's gonna be me that hurts you." He called back, halfway up the stairs. Sasuke grinned and replied with a shrug, his bonds clanking his reply for him.

-X-

**4:00 p.m. The Docks**

Kakashi sat down on the boardwalk, half listening to the soft running of the water, while the rest of his attention was directed at his book. In fact, he was getting so in to the "climax" of the chapter, he didn't notice the kunai being aimed at a main artery behind him. "Reading so much can damage your senses, Ookamishiro-san." "Nice to have you back, _Kyo_." Muttered Kakashi. "Nyeh, what are you doing?" asked the boy as he sat down beside his new roommate, leaning close to try and catch a glimpse of what was so interesting about the book.

"Killing time." Replied Kakashi. He glanced down at his companion and sighed. He watched in mild amusement how Kyo's eyes scrunched up in slight disgust at the explicit detail. It took him a while to realize why the atmosphere felt so different. "You are in your true state?" he asked mildly.

"Huh?" Kyo said dumbly. "Oh. Yeah, I was able to find good enough replacements so that I wouldn't have to attract so much attention from people who can sense me using my chakra." "Meaning Naruto, eh?" Kyo kept quiet. "He's going to be a hand full, I'll give you that." Kakashi sighed. Kyo nodded. "He seems like a good kid. It's just a shame on what he has to go through." Kakashi put away his book and cracked his knuckles. "That caught my attention; what do you mean by that?" Kyo flicked a stray pebble in to the running water, staring off in to space. "Uzumaki-kun really likes Sasuke, and that ass treats him like dirt. That guy deserves so much more than he's given credit for."

"You don't even know him, so why do you talk about him like that?" Kakashi asked, getting curious. He may know who Kyo really was, but there were some things about him that he still didn't quite understand…

Kyo shuddered and Kakashi was slightly taken aback when he heard his voice tremble. "I can't say anything until a few more months at least. It's going to be hard, knowing something that not even _I_ knew until just a few moths ago, and keeping it a secret." He looked up at the Jounin. "Uzumaki-kun already hates me; how can I fix that? I want to be on good terms with him, I don't want him to shun me just like that. What do I do?" Kakashi sighed and stared at the water.

"You took away his chance of bringing back Sasuke, that's one strike. You beat up Sasuke to the point where we all thought he would die, that's another strike. Now, we'll be going to a trial where you will be given custody of Sasuke, along with the permission to beat the hell out of him whenever you please. That's strike three. Hnh, I'd say that your best chance is to just wait it out, be your self, and see how it goes from there." Kyo sighed and cracked his neck.

"Dammit all. And you know what's worse? I'm gonna regret beating the shit out of that asshole." Snarled Kyo. Kakashi twitched. "I don't know if I hate how much you've changed, or it just gives me another view at how much I underestimated you since the last time we saw each other." Kyo faced Kakashi. "Oh, you have no idea how much I've changed. I'll be taking your title as the 'copycat'." "Whatever, just-wait, you're going to regret doing…Ohhhhh, I see. Heh…hahahaha!" Kyo's eyes widened in embarrassment and annoyance as Kakashi threw his head back and barked with laughter.

"What the hell?" he muttered. "This will strike up some controversy. Haha! You really haven't changed…at least, not emotionally." Kakashi stood up and walked away. "I have to get to the Hokage tower earlier than you; thank you for the laugh. Hahaha! Regret it…that made my day. And to think, the girls that already seem to fancy you….won't _they_ be disappointed?"

Kyo stared at the water with wide eyes, twitching uncontrollably now. "Aww, DAMMIT!" he roared once Kakashi had completely disappeared. With his outburst, birds from a nearby tree flapped away in fear. Kyo breathed deeply and clenched his fists. "I hate how I'm still easy to read…"

-X-

**Awaiting the trial.**

"The stadium is filled, m'lady Hokage."

"Thank you Rizu-san. Dismissed." With a salute, the Chuunin disappeared to leave Tsunade to her Shinobi at present. She turned around and stared at each of them in eye, sending a warning glare at a certain blonde.

"You know why we are all here. I only have a few warning words to say to you all before this trial begins." Sakura fidgeted unnoticeably and Naruto averted his gaze from Tsunade. Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata, Neji, Ten-Ten, Rock-Lee, Chouji, Ino, Sai, Kakashi, Shino, and Jiraiya stood still, paying full attention. They knew not to mess around with their leaders' orders. Four hand picked Anbu were standing behind them, silent and still.

"You selected few are the only ones that really know what the sentencing is. The reason: you have all been somehow associated with this Uchiha kid. I'm telling you now, should any of you still hold any feelings for him," she glanced at Naruto specifically. "Keep it locked up. His punishment is going to be rough, and possibly brutal. I don't want _any_ of you to interfere under _any_ circumstances. Are we understood! Naruto!" she barked.

"What!" he said hotly. "Why do you keep moving like that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Naruto blushed lightly and scowled as everyone turned to stare at him. He could swear he could even feel the stares of the Anbu behind him burning in the back of his neck. "It's…it's nothing." He muttered, tucking the Kunai deeper in to his pocket.

"Hmph. Fine then. Now, where the hell is Kyo-san? He was supposed to be here half an hour ago to begin performing the Jutsu!" she barked. Everyone shuffled uncertainly, save for Naruto and Kakashi. Kakashi noticed Naruto give out a small smirk of triumph, and he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"I'm sorry, Godaime-sama. I ran in to a bit of trouble along the way. A set of blonde, pigtailed triplets suddenly jumped me on the way here…does every girl in Konoha like to strip in front of guys nowadays?" Ino and Sakura stifled a giggle while Shikamaru rolled his eyes at Kyo's appearance.

His bandana was askew, loosened and hanging by his ear. There was some dirt on his shoulder and his fanny pack was torn so that all of his Shuriken and Kunai were missing. Naruto paled and inwardly growled at the appearance of Kyo. 'So that's why…you idiot.' Thought Kakashi, shaking his head in disbelief.

"So, is the ass here yet?" huffed Kyo, straightening his posture. "Well, I'm staring at him, so what do you think?" cheeked Tsunade. Kyo chuckled and pulled off his bandana while walking towards the Hokage. "I deserve that; anyways, so you've told them already?" Tsunade nodded curtly. "Yes, and don't change the subject. Where the hell have you been? I'm sure those three girls could have been handled easily."

Sakura gasped and turned to Naruto. "You didn't?" she whispered vehemently. Naruto inched away from her and had to suffer the deadly glare she sent at him for the rest of the ten minutes they had to wait.

"Rizu-san? What are you doing back here?" Tsunade asked confusedly. "The prisoner m'lady! He's giving us trouble; it seems he has gained strength!" panted the Shinobi. "What?! How could that happen, he was locked up with tight security." Barked Tsunade. "Where is he?" murmured Kyo deadly. "Uh, he's, uh…ma'am?" he whimpered pathetically. Tsunade sighed and nodded at Kyo.

"What're you going to do?" snapped Naruto. Kyo turned to him and stared at him blankly. They kept eye contact, even when Kyo retied his bandana over his messy brown hair. "If you want to, you can come see." He said without expression. "Lead me to him." He ordered Rizu. With a grunt, he turned and led the Naruto and Kyo towards Sasuke. "I'll be back before the trial begins." Kyo reassured over his shoulder. Tsunade frowned. "So in about a minute an a half, you'll be done, huh?" she growled.

Kyo merely laughed and disappeared around a corner and out of Tsunade's office. "What are you going to do to him?" snarled Naruto. "Hmm? Oh," Kyo raised a brow and grinned underneath his mask. "His gaining in strength is probably due to his Cursed Seal. I knew that would become a problem sooner or later. But, all I'm going to do is poke a few pressure points to block the chakra from the seal." Naruto gaped at him. "You're kidding, right? You're not going to, to hurt him anymore until later on, are you?" Kyo stopped and turned around to face him. "Look, I know you care about him; possibly more than I'm giving you credit for." Naruto pinked up nicely and glared murderously at him. "I'm not like that!" he snapped. "And I wasn't implying that you were…but now that you mention it…" Naruto clenched his fists and Kyo laughed.

"Just a joke, I'm just trying to liven up the depressing mood around here. Jeez, I'm only going to be performing the sentencing, it's not like I'm going to murder the ass." Kyo crossed his arms, jutted out his hip and leaned on one foot. Naruto noticed this and again couldn't understand what was it about this guy that made him think of that one thing that was out of place. "Erm, wait, so you never were going to kill him?" asked Naruto. Kyo blinked and furrowed his brow, leaning closer to Naruto's face. It wasn't so impressive since Kyo was about two inches shorter than him.

"Did you really think I would do something like that? Uzumaki-kun, I may have brought Uchiha back in a brutal matter, but that was necessary! If you would have been the one to go head to head with him, you probably would have done the same. I assure you, the only reason why he was that beat up was because I had to use a few of my abilities and….allies…to get past his Sharingan. Uchiha can be a formidable opponent, _if_ he wasn't so caught up in his revenge and whatnot."

Naruto peered down at Kyo and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "…I still don't trust you…" Kyo sighed and shrugged. "I understand; all I hope is that one day, you will begin to trust me." There was a loud shout from down the hall and Kyo straightened up. He snapped his attention back to Naruto and his expression softened in a way that made Naruto feel a cold pit in his gut. "We have more in common with each other than anything you could think of, Uzumaki-kun. I would hate to become your enemy for something as small and foolish as a man who denied your friendship."

The brown haired boy turned on his heel and hurried away to Sasuke's imprisoning room. Hesitating a bit to have Kyo's words sink in, Naruto soon hurried off after him.

-X-

The stadium was filled. Not one seat was left empty. People had awaited this day so much, that the stadium was overcrowded to the point where people were actually standing up. The Hokage and her selected Shinobi stood in a single file on her platform, staring straight ahead and not moving an inch. Tsunade leaned over her railing, surveying the people that had come to watch the trial. The sun was setting, giving the sand in the middle of the stadium a pale orange glow.

"Where are they?" she muttered. Her fists clenched the railing as she became nervous. Maybe she had spoke too soon to put her trust in Kyo. So what if Kakashi knew the kid? She still had never heard of him.

"Ma'am, Yamazaki-san has sent word. The prisoner is stable."

With a sigh of relief, Tsunade nodded her thanks to the Anbu Black Op Shinobi. "Bring them in." she whispered. With a slight nod, the Anbu disappeared in a flash. Behind Tsunade, Sakura began to tremble slightly.

"Naruto." She whispered. He was somewhere down there with their ex teammate with a guy he had sworn that he didn't trust worth of dog crap. She brought a finger to her mouth and bit down on it. She squeaked when she felt a nudge on her side. With a slight glance, she saw Ino giving her a faint smile. Sakura sighed and returned it, her butterflies not going away.

Sakura jolted when there was a sudden boom, causing the entire crowd to go silent. Straining her ears, she heard the light footsteps of someone coming out of the waiting area down below. "Come on." Whispered Ino. Sakura looked up and noticed that Tsunade had motioned for them to get closer. Complying with her teachers' commands, Sakura took a giant step towards her and gasped.

The four Anbu Black Ops that Tsunade had chosen each had a "chain" of chakra bound to them with Sasuke tied at the end. Each chakra chain was of a different color, letting everyone know that the chains were made of the Anbu's chakra element. Added to the chakra chains were the chakra deprivation chains bound to his neck, shackled to his feet, and strapped to his wrists.

Sasuke's lip was bleeding and his walking had a major limp to it. His face was stoic and expressionless. His bruises hadn't healed at all, giving his face a blue and purple coloring. One of his arms hung limply while the other held it tightly against him. He was changed in to something other than what he had on the previous day. Sakura couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at seeing her childhood crush wearing exactly what he had worn on the day of his Chuunin final, exempting the weaponry and headband.

The five walked slowly to the center of the stadium, giving off a tense and awkward air. Everything was silent, not even a cricket chirped. Behind the line of Shinobi, there was a light tap and Sakura turned around to find her self staring at a pale faced blonde. "Naruto!" she gasped, hurrying after him. Tsunade let the small interruption go as she watched the prisoner carefully down below.

"Naruto, what happened? Why are you shaking so much?" hissed Sakura. Naruto shook his head and gulped down a breath of air. "K-Kyo…he, Sakura, that guy is seriously something." He rasped. Sakura furrowed her brow. "What? What did he do? Did he do anything to you?" she demanded. Again Naruto shook his head. "He- Sasuke was worst than we thought. His Cursed Seal had begun to take over. But Sakura! You should have seen it!"

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

Sakura and Naruto stopped their miniature conversation; the trial had begun.

"You have been charged with betrayal of the village, attempted murder at a fellow Konoha Shinobi, refusal to comply with the laws of the village, and illegally immersing yourself at a young age in the arts of Forbidden Jutsu." The crowd remained silent; Sakura and Naruto slowly crept in to the line, Sakura guiding him back by holding on to his hand. She clenched it when she saw how Sasuke stared back up at the Hokage daringly, and expressionless.

"Do you deny these charges?" barked Tsunade, her temper rising at how coolly she was being treated by a little brat the likes of Sasuke. There was silence, Naruto leaning closer to the railing and clenching his teeth. He hoped beyond hope that Sasuke would keep to his end of the bargain. What Kyo did…yes, it saved them, but that Jutsu; he would have to tell Tsunade about it later. The way Kyo moved, it reminded him of someone, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Sasuke remained silent for a few seconds longer, strengthening the intensity of the "drama".

"No."

Tsunade blinked; did he just respond, or was that a toad?

"Y-you approve of being charged with these offenses, therefore taking in responsibility of the sentencing you will henceforth have?" she gritted her teeth at her stutter.

"Yes." Came the blunt response.

"Very well. Yamazaki Kyo, please step forward!" she barked again. Another door below opened and out stepped Kyo, wearing an expression of pure loathing, it sent Naruto reeling with anger. He was broken from his train of thought when he felt a light squeeze from Sakura. He looked down at her, but she stared on at the scene below. Her eyes were trained on Kyo and the way he walked smoothly and silkily to Sasuke.

Sasuke turned his attention to Kyo. This time, he remained motionless and did not respond to his appearance. A deal was a deal; and this time, he wouldn't mind complying with it.

Kyo stood in front of Sasuke and turned to the direction of Tsunade. He kneeled down and bowed his head.

"Yamazaki Kyo, under your request, I am entrusting the punishment of Uchiha Sasuke under your supervision. You may do as you will with the prisoner, so long as you stay through to your word that you will not harm him lethally. Are we understood?" Kyo stood back up and stared a Tsunade. "Hai, it is all understood, Godaime-sama." Tsunade nodded and sighed.

"Uchiha Sasuke, your sentence shall be to be under the public servitude of Yamazaki Kyo. He will treat you as he seems worthy while being under the bind of a Forbidden Jutsu that I have approved of. Yamazaki-san has been kind enough to put in a sort of treaty. Should you, Uchiha Sasuke, ever feel that Yamazaki-san has been abusing his power over you, or has made an attempt on your life, you may publicly declare a challenge. The challenge will be taken place during the beginning of the Chuunin finals. However, I must either have an eye witness account from someone other than the Shinobi I have lined behind me stating that what you say is true about Yamazaki-san, or, you must have physical proof. Are we understood?"

Sasuke stared blankly up at her, and then he slowly turned his attention to Kyo. Kyo felt the burning sensation of his gaze in the back of his neck and fought the urge to look back. 'He'll crack…he'll crack, then you can explain everything to him….be patient.' He assured himself.

Sasuke then subtly caught Naruto's eye and held it.

Even thought it disgusted him and made him just want to slaughter everyone around him; he stared back up to the Hokage.

"I accept." He croaked.

The crowd began to murmur in interest and excitement. Naruto sighed; Sakura let out a sound that was in between a sob and a grunt of approval; Kakashi closed his eyes and bent his head; Tsunade smiled and nodded. "In that case, Yamazaki-san, begin the Jutsu." She ordered.

Kyo bowed low and turned around to Sasuke. "You four, you remember what I told you, right? You must put in the chains at the exact same time once I finish the final seal." The four ANBU nodded and readied themselves. Kyo caught Sasuke's eyes and he shuddered. Sasuke noticed this and his eyes widened a bit in surprise. He parted his dry lips to say something, but couldn't get a word out once Kyo started performing the different seals.

Up on the platform, Naruto watched in fury. "I can't believe this." He muttered angrily. Everyone stared at him; Tsunade sighed impatiently and rubbed her temple with impatience. "Naruto, we agreed already. Kyo will not hurt him more than he promised." She sighed. "It's not that!" snapped the blonde. Sakura stared up at him worriedly. "Then what is it then? All I see is that you just hate that Kyo guy for practically no reason!" said Ino. "Stop being such a troublesome dobe, Naruto. We're allowed to keep watch, alright? We're just not allowed to interfere." Drawled Shikamaru.

"Argh! It's not that! Look at the way he's performing the jutsu! Tsunade-san, you should have seen him a few minutes ago. It was like something out of a battle between Jiraiya and, and…" he sighed in frustration, not being able to think up of that guys name at the last moment. "So he's hiding his abilities a bit, so what? Do you see me bashing everything I touch?" smarted Tsunade, beginning to get annoyed.

Naruto snapped his eyes wide when he suddenly remembered the name. He turned to Jiraiya who was staring back at him in silent interest. "It was like that battle between you and Itachi." He murmured. Jiraiya's mouth went slack just as there was a flash of bright white light.

"NOW!" came a bellow. There was a scream of pain from down below and a few shrieks of fear from the crowd. The screaming intensified until the four ANBU dispersed and the dissipated. All that was left was Kyo standing upright, his gloved right hand glowing a dark purple, the purple reaching out in visible chain links to a crouched Sasuke and writhed around his neck. Sasuke had now become a dog on his master's leash.

Everyone stared in silent awe as Kyo crouched down to Sasuke and peered closer at him. With a sudden movement, Sasuke flung a fist at Kyo's face, Kyo quickly backing away. Just as Kyo landed a few feet away and Sasuke moved a single step, the links around his neck gave out a pink glow and sent a jolt of electricity through him. Sasuke let out another scream of pain, his hands slamming to the sides of his head as the jolts racked through him. He crumpled to the ground after Kyo took a step closer to him.

"Gah!" he gasped, holding on to his neck. There was another faint pink glow and he was able to pull himself up. Kyo raised a brow and put a hand on his hip. He held out the chain in his right hand tauntingly and said, "Every time you get jolted and it stops, the chain gives you a bit of strength back so that you wouldn't be too weak. Although, don't get too excited. The pain comes back if you try to even touch it." He explained. Sasuke quickly withdrew his hand from his neck and glared daggers at Kyo.

"Heh, you ready, Uchiha? Pain starts today…"

Sasuke pulled himself up and clenched his fists. Kyo squeezed the chain and the glowing began to disappear. "What are you doing?" rasped Sasuke. "What, I can't make the chain invisible? Besides, I think that black one you have around your neck looks better than this nasty purple color, don't you?"

Sasuke pursed his lips and bit back his tongue. "Come on, I think it's about time the village sees its traitor." Kyo tugged at the invisible leash and Sasuke's eyes widened as he felt himself being dragged. "Godaime-sama, thank you for this opportunity. I will not abuse your trust on this." Kyo bowed low and turned to Sasuke. "Time to go."

With another tug, Kyo dragged Sasuke out of the excited stadium. Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, Tsunade, and everyone else watched in fascination and anger at what they had just witnessed. Naruto growled and turned on his heel to leave. 'I'll get you out of this, Sasuke. I swear, I'll get you out of this.'

* * *

A/N: that…was…the…longest…I've…written…falls on bed and drools in sleep….R&R!! Rating might go up due to language….anyways, I hope you all enjoyed getting to know a little bit more of Kyo. Next chappie…well, next chapter's gonna be a bit weird…anyway, the more reviews, the faster I write :P 


	5. Time to Play

A/N: I was happy with the outcome of last chapters' results. Thanks people! I hope this chapter will do better; I have plans for this fic. BTW, this is a warning for future chapters: this fic will contain spoilers of the real Naruto storyline. If you don't want to know unless you've seen it for your self, then I suggest you don't read further. Again, you HAVE been warned.

* * *

**Time to ****Play**

**3:30 p.m.**

"Keep walking."

"……" With a deadly glare, Sasuke complied with Kyo's wishes, reluctantly taking a step forward, his teeth grinding against each other as he let the wide-eyed stares of amused and interested passersby. He felt a push between his shoulder blades and let out a small grunt when Kyo mercilessly pushed him, sending him falling to the ground unexpectedly. With his wrists bound together, Sasuke could not stop halfway and soon found his mouth filled with the dirt of the road.

Kyo narrowed his eyes and tugged at the chakra chains, waiting impatiently for Sasuke to stand up. Sasuke winced as he pushed himself up with his elbows, his chin now sporting a bright red scratch from his fall. He let out a dry cough, his chapped lips cracking from it. Kyo sighed and waited for Sasuke to straighten before stepping forward and roughly pushing him again, a crowd of spectators surrounding them.

"Traitor!" came the shriek of a disembodied voice. Sasuke glared at the ground, taking another step forward as he was pelted with more insults.

"Bastard!"

"Scum!"

"Wretched cretin!"

"You put a shame to the great name of Uchiha!"

At this last insult, Sasuke seethed with fury, his stomach churning with hatred and want. If only he could break out of his bonds, if only he could reach Yamazaki…just one finger, that's all he needs. The comfort of his imagination was torn away from him when he felt something cool trickle down his chest. He snapped his head up to see Kyo glaring at him, holding a cool glass of water out to him, albeit rather reluctantly.

When neither moved, Kyo sighed heavily and blinked, opening his eyes slightly wider as a sort of warning. Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek and contemplated taking the glass. The small crowd watched expectantly, hoping that Kyo would slosh the water in the kids' face. Instead, Kyo stood still as Sasuke slowly and cautiously took hold of the glass, his eyes never wavering from Kyo's gaze.

Sasuke brought the glass to his lips, practically wincing at his slow and deliberate movements when he felt the water touch his lips. He finally took his first gulp when Kyo rolled his eyes and shook his head. The masked Shinobi whirled around and barked at the crowd, "Your view is done; time for us to move on." Without another word, the crowd dispersed, each person taking their turn at spitting on the ground in front of Sasuke.

Kyo turned back around and held out his hand. Sasuke handed him back the now empty glass, watching as the boy turned to his side and handed it back to a wary old man who was standing out at the front of his small restaurant. Kyo muttered his thanks, and Sasuke watched blankly as the old man turned around, throwing the Uchiha a furtive look before disappearing to prepare more ramen soup for his customers.

"Come on; we have yet to reach the western side." Kyo tugged at the chains and Sasuke lurched forward once again, his neck giving off a dull pain from so much pulling.

-X-

"See, he did _something_ nice, Naruto." The blonde spluttered and pointed down at the departing figures from his spot on the tree. "S-Sakura-chan that was the first time he's done something like that in _two weeks_!" Sakura sighed and turned to face him. "And what can we do about it? Nothing, Naruto! Sasuke's getting what he earned, even if it is a bit harsh." She added, her mind reeling with the image of Kyo pushing Sasuke for no apparent reason.

"We could keep watch; y'know, make sure he doesn't abuse his power, like Tsunade-sama said!" offered Naruto. Sakura shook her head and couldn't help but smile wryly at her friend. "We've been doing that for two weeks, Naruto-kun. Not once have I seen Kyo-san do anything worse than trip, or push Sasuke as a part of his humiliation. You would think he'd have done something by now." Naruto gritted his teeth and glared at her. "But that's what I'm saying! If we keep watch, and we catch him doing something other than that, we could-."

"Naruto, would you just stop it!"

Naruto stared at Sakura's heavily breathing form in shock. "Look, I hate this just as much as you do, trust me!" she began. "But we can't do anything about it! We have strict orders not to interfere with any bit of Sasuke's punishment. I know you don't trust Kyo-san, but would you just give it a rest?" Sakura gave Naruto a gentle look as she leaned on the trunk of the tree.

Naruto blinked back blankly before replying, his tone monotonous. "I'll do anything I can to get Sasuke out of this. There are other ways than having your life under the hands of some complete stranger as punishment." Sakura sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "Don't you think I know that, Naruto-kun? Come on, just- let's find something to get your mind off of it-." "They might as well of handed him over to Itachi!" Naruto suddenly shouted.

Sakura stared at him, wide-eyed with shock. "Naruto-kun, don't get too far with this. Hell, you know better than _I_ do that this much better than handing Sasuke over to his own, genocidal _brother_!" she hissed. They both glared at each other, their breathing heavy as the air hung in silence, save for the small noises of the busy village below.

Naruto pulled back and began to jump off to the lower branches. "Naruto," began Sakura, watching as Naruto began to disappear through the leaves. "Naruto. Naruto, please!" at the sound of her pleading tone, Naruto looked up at her from the ground, his gaze stony as he awaited her next say. Without a word, Sakura bounded off of the branch and followed, her mind set.

Once she reached the ground, Naruto's expression softened as he caught sight of the small apologetic half-smile. "Please, take your mind off of things for a while? I'll help." She assured, taking his hand, her body leaning towards the opening of the ramen shop. Naruto rubbed the back of his head, as if in thought, but smiled anyway as he saw the begging in the pale green eyes. "Yeah…" he muttered reluctantly, letting a beaming Sakura lead him to the shop, his stomach already growling for a steamy bowl of pork and mushroom.

-X-

"Oomph!" Sasuke grunted as he fell to the ground once more, his face now beginning to go numb from all of the falls he was taking. There was some jeering ahead of him, and Sasuke bristled, not only from the sound, but by what he sensed. He sluggishly looked up over his shoulder to see a very tense Kyo as he watched some boys quickly run away, their faces turning from contentment to that of sudden fear and regret. He picked himself up and sat back on his heels, groaning as he felt a bruise on his shoulder give off a sharp pain.

He heard a shuffle and was surprised to see Kyo sitting next to him, his back rigid, his arms crossed, and his eyes wide as he surveyed everyone passing by with resentment. "What are you doing?" he dared ask. Kyo gave him a sidelong glance, and resumed his stare at a passing group of suspicious looking teens with Mohawks, chains, and piercings in the oddest of places…

Sasuke ignored the silence and looked away, his right thumb lifting to brush away a liquid at the corner of his mouth. "Gaaaaah!" he suddenly screamed, his body jolting in pain as he felt the now familiar wave of electricity course through his body. He fell backwards, gasping for breath as a new crowd began to gather, wondering what was going on.

"You moved."

Everyone began to mutter excitedly as they watched the Uchiha suddenly get up and glare murderously at Kyo. "The hell I did! You got closer to me while I was sitting down! I did nothing but wipe at my mouth! You probably got closer to have some sick sort of amusement with me!" Sasuke accused Kyo. There were some gasps and parents took hold of their children as Kyo got up coolly, what little half of his face showing staring blankly at Sasuke.

"Are you trying to accuse me of abusing my power over you only after two weeks of punishment?" he asked idly, his tone unrecognizable. Sasuke clenched his fists and began to practically shake with the growing fury. "I thought you were supposed to be some great prodigy of the legendary Uchiha clan? Has the awesome, Uchiha Sasuke had enough of nasty lil Yamazaki Kyo already?" he taunted, enjoying the paling of Sasuke's face as his trembling grew.

When Sasuke said nothing, he went on. "You're my little doggie now, and I can do with you as I please." He sneered. "What just happened was because of us being too close, I've already explained that. But if you really want to feel pain-." The crowd gasped and a little girl squealed in fright. Sasuke's eyes widened and his teeth clenched tightly as his mind went completely numb. His knees shook as he suddenly lost strength and began to crumple to the ground once more.

Kyo kneeled on one knee as he held on to Sasuke by his right arm, his own currently wedged painfully in to Sasuke's abdomen. "All you need is ask." He whispered in a deadly voice. He pulled away and stood up, walking a few steps ahead of him as Sasuke's coughs and retching began to echo through the still and silent road.

"That was only the beginning. If you have any intelligence left in you, you'd get up before you get me really pissed." A boy began to cry as he held out for his mother, staring fearfully at Kyo and at Sasuke, who was now coughing up some blood. Some of the crowd looked disgusted and hatefully at Kyo, while the rest gave him encouraging nods and smiles as they departed.

"You- cough- bitch." Snarled Sasuke, his mouth filled with the metallic taste. Kyo turned around and raised a lazy brow at him, his left fist glowing a dull purple. "I think you've gotten the position's quite confused." And with a dry laugh, he yanked his hand to the side and awaited the reaction of his new toy.

-X-

"Fank oo 'ery uch, Kura-chan!" said Naruto, his mouth filled with half of his second bowl of pork and mushroom ramen. Sakura smiled, her chin resting on the tops of her hands as she watched at Naruto eat heartily away at his food. "No problem. Just thought you might be hungry." She said quietly, Inner buddy screaming quite otherwise.

She didn't know what it was. Maybe it was because their old teammate was out there getting beaten and they were suffering the same emotional pain about it. Or maybe, it was because she had finally grown out of it. But lately, she had gotten accustomed to being near Naruto so much.

Naruto gulped down the steamy mouthful and flashed a grin and let out a contented sigh. He turned to Sakura and noticed that she was staring speculatively at him. She blinked and turned away when she caught his eye, her cheeks lightly tinted with pink. "So, um," she began, trying to find a topic of conversation to start with.

"Sakura-chan, tell me the truth." Sakura looked up at Naruto, her gut flipping at the tone of his voice. She didn't know why, but she knew that whatever he was going to say next would make her feel something she really wouldn't like.

"Am I…do you still see me as an annoying kid who has nothing better to do than just pranks?" he asked quietly. Sakura blanched, a light shiver tingling her body despite the heat of the small restaurant. He had just asked her something that would need a personal comment to be given. What was she supposed to say to that?

The silence trailed on until she suddenly smiled, realizing how ridiculous it sounded in her head. "Of course I do!" she scoffed. Naruto's face fell and he stared at his empty bowl somberly, until he felt a poke at his side. Looking up, he saw the cheerful smile of the female beside him. "But who would you be if you weren't that childish kid whose life is filled with pranks? You're not only that person though, you've matured a lot. You're still a kid, but a kid that now knows, sometimes, when to quit and be serious." She giggled.

Naruto grinned from ear to ear, grateful that he could hear the truth in Sakura's voice. "Um, why'd you want to ask that anyway?" she said, tilting her head to the side, her face beaming as she awaited Naruto's reply, watching his ears go red. "Well, uh, you see-." He stuttered. Sakura leaned in closer, her eyebrows rising expectantly. Naruto watched, mesmerized by the pale green of her eyes. He felt himself tilt in his seat; his palms go sweaty, his heart pounding in his ears, drowning out the sounds of the clanking of pots and bowls.

"Naruto! There you are!" panted Iruka. Naruto fell off his seat with a dull thud, getting attention from the owners of the shop. Sakura stared at him dumbly, slowly shaking her head in disbelief while trying to hold back a laugh. The blonde looked up and glared at his old school teacher for ruining the moment. "What's up, Iruka-sensei?" he grumbled, taking the hand of the Chuunin to be pulled up.

"Your summons is what's up, Naruto! Godaime-sama has sent about three messengers to your house stating that it is urgent you report to her office before nightfall." Iruka began to pull at Naruto's wrist, only then catching a glimpse of Sakura's confused expression. "What's going on" she asked. "It's none of your concern at the moment." Snapped Iruka, Sakura gasping in surprise.

"Well it is if you're going to talk to her like that." Growled Naruto, pulling away at his old master's grip. "What's going on, Iruka-sensei?" he demanded. Iruka sighed and rubbed at his face, mumbling obscenities underneath his breath. "I can't believe you don't remember." He murmured, raising a brow at his old student. "Remember what?!"

"Naruto, in three days time, the moon will be full!" blurted out the impatient Chuunin. Naruto paled, understanding immediately.

Yes, how could he have forgotten?

**Previous Day**

_"Naruto, focus!"_

_"Raaagh! I'm trying Kakashi-sensei, stop bugging me!"_

_"You're obviously not, if I can sense your chakra." Kakashi replied coolly, tapping Naruto on the forehead and pushing him down. With a grunt, Naruto landed on his butt, a cloud of dust rising around him as he shook his head. Kakashi sighed and scratched his head. "You were doing fine yesterday. What's wrong with you?" he said dryly. Naruto opened his mouth to reply but the Jounin held up a hand. "That wasn't meant to be answered._

_Naruto glared at the old man and rolled his eyes as he fell backwards with an exhausted sigh. "Why is controlling chakra harder than people make it seem?" he moaned. "As Kyo-san so quaintly put it, you're just a special case. Seeing as you hold a demon within you." Said Kakashi. Naruto lifted his head up from the ground and sent Kakashi a glare.__ "That wasn't meant to be answered." He said._

_Kakashi smiled from underneath his mask and bent over the Genin. "Get up, Naruto. You only have today until you are to face Kyo and are handed over to him for training__ tomorrow__." Naruto groaned with anger and exhaustion, his teeth clenching at the sound of his new enemy._

_"What else am I supposed to do? No matter what, I always end up letting loose some chakra.__" Whined the blonde. Kakashi sighed and pondered the thought over carefully._

_"Hmm, despite that you're still unstable; you do have some sort of control. I suppose that once Kyo-san has you all fixed up, it's be no problem, but!" Naruto grimaced when Kakashi stopped him from saying what was on his mind. "I don't want to take any chances. So, get back to your stance." Naruto let out a grunt and stood up, sighing as he spread his feet far apart.__ He couldn't help but think discouragingly at his recent failure._

_He had only just a teensy bit of the accursed chakra left to collect, but his body had given way, releasing the entirety of his chakra back throughout his body. Naruto growled inwardly. Well, he wasn't going to fail this time._

_With a deep breath, he cleared his mind and clamped his hands together, giving him the appearance of being in a strange prayer position. He focused his concentration on every limb of his body, envisioning a giant hand gathering up all of his chakra. Slowly, the hand scooped up the energy and pulled it closer to the center of his body, the struggle getting more challenging as the hand grasped at more chakra. With difficulty, Naruto suppressed his trembling as he centered all of his chakra within his abdomen, trying his hardest to keep it in place._

_There was no other noise anymore as Naruto's concentration began to take over. He could no longer here the trees rustling as the wind caressed their leaves. He could no longer feel the presence of his instructor nearby. Now, he could only hear the breathing of his own lungs, the pounding of his heart. He felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face as the large mass of chakra expanded as the mental hands brought more to add to the collection._

_'Come on…come on!' he growled in his mind. He refused to fail again._

_The chakra began to wiggle like a glob of gelatin, as the mental hands began to lose control. 'No!' he thought, every muscle in his body tightening into the now familiar warning notice that his body was about to give up once again. 'No! Just one more bit! Come on….!' He could feel the tiny bit of chakra left at the soles of his feet. He just needed that tiny bit left, and then he would be able to succeed in locking up the flow temporarily._

_Naruto sent the hands to his soles, his teeth grinding against each other in impatience and frustration as the hands reached for the chakra agonizingly slowly. 'Just a bit more….just a bit more…' he kept chanting in his head. The tips of the fingers grazed over the chakra, slowly reeling it in. Naruto mentally pushed at it, and finally! He had it grasped!_

_Now, time to just add it to the collection. With increasing difficulty, Naruto directed the hands back up to his abdomen, his body sweating heavily to match along with his gasping. The hands had passed the knees, just a bit more…..passing the on, just a millimeter more…._

_CRACK!_

_With a shout, Naruto felt himself being thrown off his feet as his eyes __were blinded underneath his eyelids by a bright white light. He felt a dull pain in his stomach, as if he had just suffered a bad bruising. With a moan, Naruto opened his eyes slowly, smelling a soft burning scent._

_"Congratulations." Smiled Kakashi, his face appearing as if from out of nowhere. Naruto blinked at him blankly. "Wha?" he coughed._

_"You have just locked up your chakra. Tomorrow, at 5 in the evening, Kyo will perform the jutsu. You are now free of the risk of uncontrolled chakra."_

**Present Day**

Sasuke sighed appreciative of the moment's reprieve he was given of having to be tossed around like a rag doll by Yamazaki. Although…

He grimaced as he looked down at the now glowing chain, its links trailing to a post near the entrance of a building. His grimace turned to a scowl as Kyo's words echoed in his mind as he departed with a mysterious summons to the Hokage.

"If I won't be able to torture you. Let your guilty conscience do its temporary job."

Sasuke tilted his head back to stare blankly up at the family symbol. The Weeping Willows surrounding the shrine billowed in the breeze and sent a breeze around his hot and dirty body. He hated to admit it, but the gnawing sensation in the back of his mind took over, making up his decision.

With a hesitant step, Sasuke pulled aside the door of his family's gravesite. The inside was dark and dry, as if no one had visited it in years. However. Sasuke's eyes trailed over the wooden floors and their polished glory. The state of the shrine said otherwise.

His movements stiff, Sasuke lifted up a leg and brought it down beyond the doorway. With a pained grunt, he shuffled inside of it, his mild surprise at how he was able to move this far being drowned away as he took in the sight of the inside.

The walls were decorated with a multicolor of fresh flowers from an anonymous donor, the act of such kindness never seen by Sasuke himself except for the day they were buried. The sight of so many flowers made him wonder vaguely who else had visited his family's graves. He dismissed the thought as he limped in farther in to the room, his face stoic and blank.

As he passed, he read the names of his aunts and uncles, cousins and distant relatives off of the walls. There was Obito, his name engraved with an ornate frame surrounding it as one of the family's historical figures. He saw the name of his grandparents as he passed by, his skin for some reason tingling as he left them behind. He walked farther down, reaching a small set of stairs heading downwards.

Sasuke hesitated, glancing down at his chain, wondering if he could go any farther. His face stony, Sasuke dismissed the negative thoughts and continued onwards, his shock at his luck going away immediately when he descended the steps, reaching the end of the shrine. His fists clenched when he caught sight of the marble cube in front of him, bearing the names of his mother and father, the heads of the family.

Lower down, Sasuke could see the names of the immediate relatives of theirs, the carved words blaring in his face:

May the fallen have their peace.

May the beast have his justice.

The clan shall never be forgotten.

Rest peacefully, bearers of the

Great Sharingan.

In this small room lay the bodies of the slaughtered Uchiha family.

Sasuke turned his head, his eyes searching the room for the familiar spot. Once found, he limped to it, his heart beating within him at a faster rate. On the floor, underneath the carved name, was an old and tattered white teddy bear, it's ear torn off, the fur slightly smudged from sitting on the floor for so long. Around the bear's neck was a thin golden chain, hanging from it, a small ring with a light engraving on it, a small jewel glinting off of it as well. Sasuke stood in front of the bear, staring at it blankly as he kneeled closer to it.

He could see that day clearly, as if it were happening right in front of him at that moment. He looked up and saw the carved name:

Uchiha Yumiko

Mystery of the clan

But loved as one of their own

1991-1996

"Mystery of the clan." Whispered Sasuke in the darkness. He reached forward and lightly touched the old bear, remembering how she used to carry it around with her always. He picked it up and laid it on his lap, his fingers toying with the necklace.

_The rain washed away any sign of tears from Sasuke as he followed the procession. Each volunteer carried a coffin, each coffin bearing a body of an Uchiha. He kept close to a group carrying a trio of coffins, two large, and one small enough to hold a child. Four men carried the coffin of his father, two his mother's. The young boy stared blankly at the one carrying the small one, his heart tearing in two when he saw who carried it._

_Kakashi stared hard ahead. His back straight, his arms wrapped tightly around his burden. Sasuke kept close, his hair matted down by the rain, his clothes sopping wet. There were sobs behind them as people from the village watched the parade of mourners. Wails escaped the throats of the women__, sharp cries from the younger children as the negative energy of the slow procession reached them._

_Sasuke blinked, his eyes burning as he let his emotion run freely, not caring anymore. He followed the elder men as they slowly marched to the prepared shrine of the Uchiha's. The first to reach it were the men carrying his father's remains. Sasuke stood to the side, watching as everyone else caught up, gently bringing down the coffins to align them symmetrically against one another one last time underneath the great canopy that blocked the rain. Simultaneously, each coffin was opened as they let anybody passing by give their last respects._

_The young boy was first, his slow steps to his fathers' body reluctant, not wanting to go any further to give his last goodbye. Too soon, however, he found himself staring in to the serene face of the man he was so proud of. The man that had accepted him as one of his kin just the day before, his words echoing in his mind at how proud he was to have a son like him. A son that could perform the Fire Breathing Jutsu at such a young age. With a bow of his head, Sasuke gave his father one final look, and walked over to his mother._

_The pale face of what was once a beautiful woman graced him. A jagged, but clean cut across her cheek standing out more than ever with its bright red. __He would miss the smile that graced her lips every morning when he woke up. He would miss her encouraging words every time he would try something new. The kindness of her wide doe-like eyes would make her even more memorable to him. Sasuke bent forward and laced a final kiss on her cool cheek, whispering his love to her as he stood up and proceeded to the smaller coffin._

_Kakashi stood at the head, watching as Sasuke approached. Sasuke felt him watching and looked up, getting only a curt nod in reply. A cold feeling spread throughout Sasuke's body as he neared the body he dreaded to get closer the most. He found himself near her head anyways, staring down at the peaceful face. The long raven hair fanning around her like a halo, accenting her pale skin. Her long lashes resting peacefully against her porcelain cheeks, her dainty hands folded neatly over her stomach. The black yukata she wore reached up to her neck, trying in vain to hide the horrid reminder of how she had died. But Sasuke could see it anyway._

_The long, red and blotchy scar of her slit throat. The image of how fresh the wound was just the night before flashed across Sasuke's eyes and he blanched.__ He could see clearly now the multitude of scars on her neck from the torture she had endured. The purple bruises on her legs from her beating, and the scratches on her hands from her valiant fight._

_Sasuke clenched the edge of her coffin, not able to shake the disturbing image out of his mind. The pool of blood surrounding his parents, their mangled bodies. "No, wake up. Please, wake up." He croaked, staring in to the unmarred face of his friend. "Please, wake up! You're just sleeping. Come on….Yumiko, wake up. Mom!" he whirled around and stared in to his mother's face again. "Wake up, please!" he wailed. He turned back to Yumiko and reached for her hand._

_He clutched tightly at the frozen, lifeless limb, hoping for any response. "Yumiko, wake up! We- we're going to the creek today!" he sobbed. His vision of her was blurred as a fresh onslaught of tears overtook him. Before he could say anymore, he felt an arm around his waist as he was dragged up, a hand forcefully pushing his face in to a chest._

_"NO!" he screamed, flailing around as he tried to free himself from the persons grasp. But the fight was futile as Kakashi dragged him away, Sasuke's wails drowning out all of them, no matter how hard he tried to muffle them. "Let's go Sasuke." He whispered, pulling the boy away as the coffins were once again closed to be put to their final resting place._

"Dammit." He growled, clutching at the bear with trembling hands.

-X-

"So, are you ready?" Kyo cracked his knuckles, his head snapping to the side as he cracked his neck as well. Naruto glowered at him, his body tense as he felt the eyes of Tsunade, Kakashi, and Jiraiya train on him. "You bet." He growled. Kyo nodded. "Good, cuz this is gonna be a bumpy ride."

He raised a glowing fist and rapidly lowered it, his eyes trained on Naruto as he began the Jutsu.

* * *

A/N: Here ya go! R&R please! Sorry if it was a bit rushed, but hey, trying to get to the main point :P 


	6. When Two Powers Collide

**A/N: **ok, so you guys waited patiently for this, and for that I'm REALLY grateful. Here's the next installment and I hope you all enjoy! R&R, and just a heads up to all of you, my updates will most likely take a while due to school and my just recently having moved to a new house. Hope you guys don't mind and stay with me n this story

* * *

**When Two Powers Collide**

"Wh-what'd you do?!"

"Calm down, he's only unconscious." Muttered Kakashi. "Note the drool on the side of his mouth." Pointed out Jiraiya dryly. Tsunade peered closer and sweat-dropped, indeed noticing the drool sliding off the side of his big mouth. She straightened up and cleared her throat, turning to Kyo. "You say he- Kyo?" Tsunade stared at Kyo precariously, watching as he swayed weakly, holding on to his right arm as he gasped in exhaustion. Kyo gazed beadily at Naruto's still form, the sweat around his eyes causing him to squint so as not to get stung by the liquid.

Jiraiya bent over Naruto and Kyo felt his vision flicker dangerously. He tightened his hold on his now temporarily paralyzed and useless arm and grimaced as his entire body screamed in burning pain. He staggered and began to fall forward, only to be caught in a strong and worried embrace. His head felt heavy and leaned in farther to the embrace to rest upon a soft and warm chest.

"That took a lot of you, didn't it?" muttered a smooth and disoriented voice. Kyo breathed heavily and struggled to stay awake, but his mind was so scrambled at this point, it took all of his energy to say one last order before he fell unconscious.

"Don't hurt him…please, keep him safe."

Tsunade stared at the unconscious boy in her arms, his plead for Naruto echoing in her mind. "Who is this kid to care about Naruto this much?" Jiraiya voiced everyone's thought. He had opened up Naruto's vest and pulled up his shirt, soon finding himself shocked to witness the smoke rising from the kid's abdomen.

The seal was completely repaired, looking as if it was just made. Jiraiya's face went from shock, to wonder, to suddenly grim as he studied the intricate designs before it began to fade away.

The Toad Sannin stood up abruptly and turned to Tsunade, who was still staring at Kyo, wondering what to do. She looked up at him with wide eyes and he returned it with his still grim face.

"This kid's got a lot of explaining to do." He muttered. "We all know that, Jiraiya. But a deal's a deal; we'll know about him only after the scroll opens at its- dammit!" Tsunade hissed as she felt a burning sensation on her thigh. Kakashi quickly grabbed a hold of Kyo as Tsunade patted her robe and pulled out a sizzling scroll. Kakashi gently put Kyo down next to Naruto and stood up straight as he and Jiraiya watched Tsunade quickly survey the new entry of the mystery scroll.

As the Hokage's eyes raved down the page, her eyes began to squint with skepticism. "'When Blood meets Blood shall the shedding end. When eye meets eye shall the misunderstanding bend. When enemies clash and allies are born, no more will the Uchiha mourn. From the ashes rise the fallen phoenix; the five heroes in the final successor. Father and Son shall be renewed…the rest is some stupid mumbo jumbo! What the hell is this supposed to mean?" ordered Tsunade.

Jiraiya peered over her shoulder and tried to make sense of it all. "What's with this line, 'Nine-Tails will rise and finally rest, bringing with it what it holds near.'" He pointed the line out and Tsunade squinted down at it, and then glared at the two sleeping boys on the floor.

"I'm thinking the kid is probably right in not trusting Kyo…" she began to reason. Kakashi stepped forward and tried to change the subject. "You might have all of this misinterpreted. Just wait until Kyo wakes up and you can question him about it. He explained the first time; he'll explain this new one." Tsunade eyed her Jounin, chewing the inside of her cheek speculatively.

"You're still going to side with him? What if the kid's holding back on you as well?" she asked. Kakashi sighed and closed his eyes. "He already is; there's no point in wondering. I'm as confused as you are, maybe more so than you think. But we need to at least have a centimeters worth of trust in Kyo if we want any answers soon."

Before anybody else could argue, there was a knock on the door that made all three of them start. "Lady Tsunade!" came the exasperated gasp of Shizune. Tsunade sent another glare at Kakashi and finally went to open the door. Shizune came tumbling in, breathless and sweat glistening on her face. "What is it?" asked Tsunade, not really caring but asking just for the sake of it.

"The Uchiha boy!" gasped Shizune, her black hair all askew. She pointed scathingly at Kyo. "He left the boy unattended near the resting place of his family." she spat. Tsunade took a sharp intake of breath and stared beadily at her assistant, trying to hold in her growing anger. "Is that all…?" she muttered, hoping that was it. "Of course not!" came another voice.

Sakura ran in, on the verge of tears. She squealed when she saw Naruto lying on the floor. A shaking hand flung to her mouth as she thought the worst, not understanding the situation. "Well?! Spill it out already!" barked Tsunade. Kakashi and Jiraiya both stared at the pink-haired girl, wondering what had put her in this state.

Sakura snapped out of her reverie and also pointed at Kyo. "Naruto was right." She began shakily. "Kyo abused his power. He left Sasuke alone and now Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, Neji, and Kiba are fending off a horde of villagers trying to slaughter Sasuke!" Tsunade's eyes widened and she pointed at the door. "Kakashi, go straight to the burial site, you know what to do! Sakura, find any other Shinobi on your way out and tell them my orders and help Kakashi." She turned to Jiraiya and narrowed her eyes. "You know what you've got to do." She muttered deadly.

Jiraiya nodded grimly and bolted out the door just as Kakashi and Sakura disappeared. "Lady Tsunade?" Shizune said nervously. Tsunade glowered at Kyo, her eyes smoldering as an aura of anger and regret emanated from her.

She had trusted him. Like the old fool she was, she trusted him with the matters of a Jounin and this is what she got. The boy was hiding too much; she would have to do something and soon. She glanced over at Naruto and felt a guilty pang. Naruto had warned her, yet she brushed the matter away as another one of his ludicrous ideas.

"Call in some medical nin. Get Yamazaki outta my sight." Growled Tsunade. Shizune stared at the Hokage and gulped. "And of Naruto-kun?" she asked. Tsunade stopped as she approached the door. "….make sure he's comfortable…"

-X-

"Get back! You have no right!" barked Shikamaru. He held up a kunai defensively and glanced from the corner of his eye to see Akamaru growling with bared teeth at the people. Kiba held his arms out to the sides as he to bared his teeth and glared at the yelling and cursing crowd beside Akamaru. Not too far off was Chouji, his massive build making people think twice before they thought to cross him. Neji stood calmly beside Chouji as he sent off a glare to his section.

'Ugh, what a drag. Where's Sakura with backup when you need it?' Shikamaru thought dryly. He parried and slapped at a random stone that one of the people aimed at Sasuke behind him. "Watch it! I swear I'll-!"

"They know we can't do anything to them, Shikamaru! It's common sense that Chuunin have no right to attack citizens unless given orders from a Jounin or higher." Ino snapped at him, kneeling beside Sasuke. The people in the crowd never changed their attitude.

Ino stared at them warily and turned back to her patient at hand. Sasuke sported a bruised and bloodied lip, a swollen left eye and a few scratches from the civilians that had found him alone, defenseless, and vulnerable. Sasuke stared blankly at the crowd and blinked as he saw Akamaru snarl and lurch towards a man who had come too close, his teeth gnashing threateningly.

"Does anything hurt?" Ino asked her old crush. Sasuke only replied by turning his gaze up at her. Ino looked away and blushed, hating the fact that she was supposed to hate him but still harbored some feeling for him. Sasuke stared hard at her, remembering that the last time he had seen her was when she was a scrawny teenage girl that was always screaming after him. "…No." he drawled. Ino looked up at him.

Sasuke looked away and stared again at the crowd. Ino twitched slightly, her temper rising quickly at his cool demeanor. "Are you sure?" she asked through clenched teeth. Sasuke ignored her, not really wanting to bother to point out that he had bruised his ankle from trying to dodge attacks. Ino stared at him scathingly. "You really should tell me, because I think-," she jabbed a finger at a pressure point near the base of his back. Sasuke tensed and bared his teeth as he tried to suppress a yelp of surprise and shock, his eyes widening slightly. "You seem to be feeling some pain in this area."

"Oi, Ino-san!"

Ino looked up and let out a sigh of relief as she saw that the crowd was backing away in discomfort and frustration. Shikamaru stood passively, nodding his head at her as Kakashi and the other three helped the Jounin and fellow Shinobi he had brought with him to push back the mob. "Come on, we gotta help Kakashi-sensei. Sakura-san will take care of him." Ino nodded gratefully and walked off, Sakura taking her place behind her.

Sasuke began to stand up as Ino left him when he heard someone walk quietly behind him. Looking over his shoulder, Sasuke saw Sakura staring somberly at him. He turned completely around to get a better look at her, realizing that when he had first seen her, it was only a glance as he had kept his attention on Naruto.

He was surprised to see Sakura was now comfortably wearing a miniskirt that actually looked nice on her. Although still slightly on the childish side, her legs were pretty nice…and smooth…and supported a body that was beginning to grow. The little bit of her stomach that was showing made Sasuke lazily raise an eyebrow as he finally reached her now stern heart shaped face.

"I take it you're not hurting?" she asked, her pale green eyes glowering at him. Sasuke inhaled sharply and looked away, his arms crossing over his chest as he awaited "instruction". Sakura sighed and stepped towards him. "Come; sit on the curb with me. I have to watch over you until Kyo wakes up." Sasuke turned his head sharply to her. Sakura smirked. "Oh, yeah, Naruto somehow knocked him out, the idiot knocking himself out as well."

Immediately Sasuke felt a bubbling anger at the new information. Here he was being a chained animal while Naruto was able to knock out the one guy he wasn't even able to lay a finger on! "Bastard." He hissed. "Hm?" Sakura said from her seat on the curb. She leaned backwards on her hands and looked up at him without expression.

Sasuke returned her look with a light glare. "Why are you here?" he muttered loud enough for her to hear. Sakura rolled her eyes and gave him a dull look. "I'm here on orders. I wouldn't come close to you if even Naruto claimed you were his blood brother." She snapped, surprising herself and Sasuke. She stared at him wide eyed, Sasuke looking at her in his blank demeanor but this time, his eyes betraying him. Not that he cared, but Sakura having said that made him feel…strange.

Sakura blinked rapidly to clear the odd feeling of contempt from her mind and sat up straight. With a wavering smile, she nodded beside her and stared at her old companion expectantly. Sasuke stayed where he stood, ignoring the throbbing of his bruised ankle. "Look, it'll be a while before Kyo wakes up, so…" Sakura trailed off.

Sasuke stared avidly at what was his old childhood friend. His eyes squinted slightly as Sakura's eyes stayed level with his face, not even a blush creeping up on her cheeks like olden times. "What do you want?" he drawled. He wouldn't trust her delicate appearance worth his family inheritance. Sakura merely closed her eyes and smiled, shaking her head.

"Just for you to sit down and let me have a look at your ankle. If you don't stop putting your weight on it, it will be a painful process when I'll have to fracture it in a couple places to get rid of the blood clot." Her eyes flashed open in a hard stare, her facial expression innocent, but her eyes daring him to start something. Sasuke raised a lazy brow and stood where he was.

How did she know about his ankle when he wasn't even complaining, let alone limping?

With a slow exhale through his nose, Sasuke shuffled towards Sakura and carefully sat down. He remained still, Sakura calmly turning to face him and clutching his injured ankle lightly. Sasuke watched as her fingers caressed the softly bruised skin, her eyes calculating the damage. Her fingers began to glow a soft blue hue as she used her chakra to fix up the worst of the damage. Then, with a bored sigh, she rummaged through her fanny pack and withdrew a roll of gauze.

As she rolled his ankle comfortably in it, she opened her mouth slightly and voiced her thoughts. "Why'd you do it?"

Sasuke stared at her blankly, knowing fully well what she meant. He gave her no reply but the same cold and expressionless stare. Sakura tightened the bond on the gauze and looked him in the eye, waiting for his answer.

It would have been awkward, just staring at each other expectantly, but it just seemed as if the other were just trying to match up to each other in a childish game of a staring contest. After two years, Sakura had trained herself raw, and she would _not_ back down now. Sasuke would have to answer the question sooner or later, and she pretty much knew the answer; hell, everyone did. But she wanted to hear it from him. In her own opinion, he keeping quiet about it made him seem weak.

"The silent treatment never really worked, so why are you still using it?" she inquired. Sasuke blinked lazily, but still did not say a word. "You like acting all mature, but really Sasuke," Sakura stood up and sent hi a look of disgust. "You act worst than Naruto at times." She turned on her heel and began walking away. "Don't call me unless you're dying. Kakashi should be back with Kyo soon."

Sasuke grit his teeth as Sakura walked away, leaving him in the dirt practically the way he had started out.

Boy, did he want to take his revenge out on them soon.

-X-

"You better have a good explanation for this." Growled Kakashi, slamming the door open as he glared at Kyo. The boy groaned disdainfully and cracked his eyes open. "Wha…?" he moaned. Kakashi threw daggers at him with cold eyes as Kyo grunted in pain while getting himself up. After getting that angry mob to calm down, Kakashi wanted nothing better to do than beat the hell out of Kyo.

"Mother f…" Kyo bit back his tongue and his eyes suddenly widened as he realized where he was. "Where am I?!" he demanded. "In my bed." Kakashi replied dryly. Kyo flung back the covers and yelped in pain. His right arm gripped tightly at his left as he hissed out a gasp.

"My…Naruto better take control of his chakra, or I swear I'll-." He stopped midsentence with another gasp. Kakashi rolled his eyes and stepped closer. "Roll up your sleeve and let me take a look at it.

Kyo grimaced and he looked up at him with distaste. "What sleeve?" he spat. Before Kakashi could reply, he released his injured arm to show charred clothing and a steaming red, blue, green and purple arm.

Kakashi stared at it curiously, even bringing his face closer to have a better look. "What the hell did you do?" he finally asked, after giving Kyo's arm a light poke, emitting a shout as a result.

"I used a Forbidden Jutsu, that's what I did. _Now I know why it's forbidden._" Kyo hissed in reply. Kakashi tilted his head and put a finger to where his lips were hidden underneath his mask. "It looks like a burn. However," he straightened up and squinted his eyes as he still stared avidly at the injury. "I'd have Sakura check up on it when you go pick up Sasuke."

Kyo blinked and stared blankly at Kakashi as if he had heard nothing. "What happened while I was out?" he finally asked, very quietly.

The Jounin's presence became suddenly cold and awkward as he gave Kyo a murderous glare. "First off, you left Sasuke alone, the result being he was attacked by an angry mob. Sakura is staying by his side, tending to him while I'm over here waking you up. Secondly, although Sasuke had not complained, it has still reached the ears of the Hokage that you have been abusing your power of punishment." He folded his arms and let out a great sigh. "Tsunade-sama was greatly displeased, and after you're done tending to Sasuke, you are to go to her immediately."

The boy cracked his neck and glared at the floor as Kakashi finished.

"Why the hell is Sakura with him?"

Kakashi twitched as a vein appeared over his eyebrow. He took in a deep breath and was about to bellow out what was on his mind when he heard the door squeak on its hinges from the speed of Kyo as he left with a manic laugh.

Again, Kakashi twitched as he slowly sagged on to the bed and sighed.

-X-

Sakura held out the bottled water to Sasuke, sending him a blank look as a response to his raised eyebrow. Sasuke looked away and ignored the offer, his hands clasping as he stared off into space and rested his chin on them. Sakura glared at him and gulped the water down, a droplet rolling idly off her chin, down her neck.

Sasuke watched the droplet from the corner of his eye, following its trail as it mingled with her droplets of perspiration. It was hot, he was tired, but most of all, he was angry.

The one time he actually wanted Kyo to be near, the bastard wasn't there. He wanted to get away from Sakura as soon as possible. She made him feel strange, and he didn't like the feeling at all. Although he didn't understand it, he'd even prefer to be with Orochimaru rather than with her.

Sakura turned around and blindly began to pace, growing impatient as another hour slipped by since Kakashi had left to fetch Kyo.

Sasuke tilted his head and looked up at the sky, glaring at the clouds that floated effortlessly by.

"Gnh! G-gaaaah!" The raven-haired boy dropped to all fours as his body was enveloped with pain. Sakura whirled around and gasped as she saw Kyo standing at the roof of the Uchiha Shrine, staring amusedly at Sasuke as his right hand glowed a light purple.

The glowing ceased and Sasuke rolled on his side, panting as sweat rolled down the side of his face.

"What the hell was that for?! He wasn't even doing anything!" reprimanded Sakura. Kyo raised an eyebrow and stared at her. Sakura gritted her teeth as he began to fade in front of her eyes one second, and the next he was gone.

"I need a favor." She suddenly heard in her ear.

With a squeak, Sakura whirled around, a hand flinging up to her chest as a reflex, her foot taking a step backwards. Her breathing became rapid as she noticed the expression of pain in his eyes, but what was showing of his face, completely emotionless.

"My arm." He said bluntly. Sakura blinked and gave him an incredulous look. Kyo remained silent and she looked down to find her self gaping at the injury. "Wha-?" she began.

"Just do something!" he snapped. With a glare, Sakura reluctantly obliged. She reached for his arm and he let her take over.

"Tch." She snorted as she got a thorough examination of the wound. Kyo kept a steady gaze on her but said nothing. "Whatever you did with this arm, you burned it pretty badly." She glanced up at him and flinched slightly as she caught the intensity of his gaze. "Y-you won't be able to use this arm for quite a while."

Again, Kyo said nothing but kept a steady gaze at her. Sakura felt a tingle go down her spine as she blinked rapidly, returning her attention back to his arm. Without another thought, her hands began to glow as she summoned up some chakra and began repairing the damage.

"Watch what you're doing!" snapped Kyo as a sharp pain jolted up his arm when she applied some pressure. Sakura suppressed a smirk but alleviated the pressure nonetheless. "You should be taking your own advice." She muttered. She looked up at him from underneath her eyes and glared at him. "Whatever you did really cost you a lot."

Kyo scrunched his eyes and raised a questioning brow. "What're you leading at?" he muttered. Sakura reached in to her back pocket for her gauze and said matter of factly, "Your arm is going to be useless for about another month."

"What?!"

Sakura finished wrapping his arm and gave him a questioning look, stepping back away from him curiously. "That's impossible." He snarled, glaring daggers at her.

Sakura shook her head and crossed her arms. "That wound is a class B; minor, but still capable of rendering you crippled." She shrugged. "You'll be able to use it again, and I repaired the damage to the best of my ability, but you still won't be able to use it for a while."

Kyo growled and glowered at Sakura as if this were all her doing.

"The Chuunin exams; this has to be healed by the Chuunin exams." He pressed. Sakura looked at him incredulously. "What do you have to do with the exams? Your priority is Sasuke, not Genin-!" she paled when she realized what he meant.

Before she could confront him, he pushed her aside and stomped towards Sasuke. The Uchiha was struggling to get up on all fours when Kyo kicked him on the side. "Get up!" he barked. Sakura's hands flung to her mouth as she began to tear up.

"Sasuke…" she whispered, watching in dismay.

Sasuke rose up cautiously, Kyo lashing an arm out at him and clutching at the collar of his shirt. "Got your self in to a little show, didn't you?" he said maliciously. Sasuke grunted; his eyes squeezed shut in pain.

Kyo kneed him in the abdomen and Sasuke cried out as he doubled over. Before he could reach the ground, Kyo kicked out at him again, his foot making contact with his jaw.

"Stop it! What are you doing?!" shrieked Sakura. She ran out to him, her arm reaching out with a fist as she aimed for Kyo's back.

Her punch landed on something, but it wasn't Kyo. Before she had the chance to twist around and follow Kyo, she had punched Sasuke right in the cheek, knocking him out cold.

Sakura sobbed in shock and frustration. She immediately bent over to check the damage when she felt a strong and lean arm wrap around her waist. She was only able to clutch at the arm before she felt Kyo's breath on her ear.

"You were never here to begin with."

She felt a small jab right off the corner of the base of her neck. Her eyes glazed over as she fell limply in his embrace.

Kyo's hardened gaze softened considerably as he stared at Sakura's calm and pale features. Her head lolled to his chest as he gently began to crouch down.

Sasuke glared up at him and snarled when he noticed a blush start to creep up on his visible features. "What the hell is your problem?" he coughed.

Half of him wanted to get Sakura away from him while the other half yelled at him to stay put, knowing the consequences.

Kyo looked up and Sasuke almost backed away.

For a second, just one second, Sasuke saw something he had never would've thought to see from his enemy.

The bright amber eyes and sudden paling of Kyo's skin brought out the emotion in his eyes even more. The sadness, fear, and uncertainty that permeated from him made Sasuke suppress a shiver. Where had all of that come from? Was there more to this guy than they already suspected? What was hiding beneath the cool and ruthless exterior of this guy?

Sasuke caught from the corner of his eye Kyo clutch Sakura closer, almost possessively, and gently release her as he quickly looked away and made sure Sakura would be comfortable. "Get yourself up. We're heading for the Hokage."

"You can't just leave Sakura here!" Sasuke objected. Kyo looked up and Sasuke was surprised to be staring at only a blank set of eyes. "She'll awaken in exactly 3 minutes and 12 seconds with no memory whatsoever of what's just happened. Now get up," Kyo straightened himself up and waited for Sasuke.

The Uchiha stared after him warily, unsure of what he would do next. "Just…" Kyo sighed and shook his head. Sasuke stared at him long and hard, urging him mentally to go on. Kyo looked at him and his masked moved as he bit his lower lip. He glanced at Sakura jerkily and looked from her to Sasuke.

"That…could work…" he muttered, his eyes going wide with each second.

Sasuke couldn't help but feel trepidation as Kyo gave him a once over and kept staring intently at him.

-X-

Naruto breathed deeply as he lay in Tsunade's bed. She stared at him with a motherly gaze as thoughts of what the boy must have been through when he was younger began to creep in to her mind. People hating him for almost no reason, the cold shoulder he must've been given every day of his life. No one trusting him in anything he ever said. People _still_ not trusting him in anything he ever said.

Tsunade sighed and pulled back the covers to check on his abdomen, his shirt having been taken off completely for better surveillance. The steaming had stopped, but the seal was still very visible. Her eyes narrowed as she stared closer at it. There was one thing that Jiraiya had missed while surveying it.

The seal was glowing, as if it were calling something. It was dull, but still noticeable with trained eyes.

There was the sound of footsteps and Tsunade turned around to find Shizune standing behind her, a grim look set upon her face. "Yamazaki-san, Sakura-san, and Uchiha-san have arrived, Lady Tsunade." She whispered, glancing at the sleeping boy. "Thank you." Muttered the Sannin. "Is he doing alright?" asked Shizune.

Tsunade nodded. "His vitals are stable and that seal of his has stopped steaming. He's just sleeping." She whispered.

She turned away from Naruto and walked out of the room. "Stay with the kid. I'll deal with the other three…if anything happens, report to me immediately." Shizune nodded, offering a meek smile as Tsunade turned away.

Shizune walked over to Naruto and gently pulled back the blankets. The seal glowed brightly as she stared at it intently. "So it worked." She muttered her voice devoid of emotion. She dug in to her pocket and withdrew a needle, it's vial completely empty as she grabbed Naruto's limp arm. Without hesitation she jabbed the needle in to the fleshy joint of his forearm and drew some blood.

Naruto's face twitched and he let out a grunted sigh as he squirmed. Shizune pulled out the half-filled vial and topped it, tucking it safely back in her pocket. She leaned in close and placed a soft kiss on his smooth cheek, brushing away a strand of hair from his eyes.

"Everything will come to place. Sweet dreams."

-X-

"I had no intention of-."

"Enough! I don't want to hear excuses! What you did was highly unacceptable. Do you have any idea what you could have caused?!"

While Tsunade ranted on about Kyo's costly mistake, Sasuke and Sakura stood outside of the Hokage's office. Sasuke sat on a bench on one side while Sakura leaned duly on the other, her eyes glazed over as she stared off in to space. Sasuke kept glancing up at her, making sure she would be all right. Ever since she had woken up, she acted really strange.

She didn't speak; her movements were slow and zombie-like. When spoken to, she only responded with a dull look that made him feel he was talking to someone dead.

"And not to mention-!" Tsunade bellowed on, Sasuke not caring what was being said. He propped a leg up on the bench and draped an arm over his knee, his eyes roving over to Sakura yet again.

She had been his only witness; the only one who could save him. Whatever Kyo did to her, it had rendered her forgetful and she knew nothing of what had happened until after she fixed his ankle. He couldn't put his trust on luck for Tsunade-sama to believe him in his tale of a world of hurt brought on for no reason and just sheer anger from Kyo's part.

"Now you must repent for your actions; so now, not only will Sasuke be on punishment, but you will do so as well! Tell me, what do you have in mind that will be fitting? I assure you, Yamazaki-san, I have a long list of wonderful punishments I would be more than glad to try out on you." Tsunade stated threateningly.

At this Sasuke's interest piqued. He blocked all other senses and made sure to listen carefully. Kyo's response was so quiet; he had to strain to hear. "I actually do have something that will most likely be a good enough form of punishment."

Sasuke's brow furrowed, not really wanting to hear what would be suggested.

He glanced down the hallway to make sure no one was watching. He checked on Sakura and found her staring blankly at the other side of the hall. With a final grunt, he let his leg fall back to the floor and made to get to the door to listen better.

Kyo slammed the door open and calmly walked out, nodding at Sasuke to follow, muttering at Sakura to do the same. "Come on, we need to prepare for the mission." Sasuke scowled at Kyo's back. "What mission?" he muttered. Sakura blinked and a hand reached up to her head as she slowly turned to Kyo.

"Yeah, what mission?" she asked cautiously, her voice quiet as her senses began to fully come back. Kyo glanced at her and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he threw her a smile. "Glad to see you're back amongst the living."

Sasuke grunted and glared at him. "Stop trying to change the subject. What're you talking about?" he demanded. Kyo sauntered down the hallway as Sakura dn Sasuke followed.

"I'm talking about the B-rank mission Naruto and Sakura will lead while we're they're corporate lackies."

"WHAT?!"


End file.
